The New Arrival
by MiaGhost
Summary: Thomas has been with WCKD for nearly three years. He's often the first face for the new arrivals, even though he's only eight. Then one day an arrival comes in who won't talk, and who won't interact and Thomas is, of course, curiously enthralled. Set years before their trips in The Box, in the time before WCKD wiped their minds and sacrificed them to the Maze.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter One_

Thomas was sitting at his workspace, tapping idly at the glowing keypad. It was Mazes again today, and he swung his legs as he worked. The current trend of Mazes had several checkpoints within the intricate paths, and Thomas had been working on this one for almost an hour already. At each checkpoint he had to solve a smaller puzzle. Most were word or number related but every now and then there was an analysis one where a situation or figure took over the screen and Thomas had only a few seconds to make snap-fire deductions in order to proceed.

Despite the complexity of his current task, Thomas's mind was wandering and the steady sound of his feet drumming back on the underside of his chair was lulling him into an almost trance-like calm. Thomas had been with WCKD for almost three years, and he and his friend Teresa were by far the brightest amongst the elite group of children the lab currently had. After two years they had been rewarded for their efforts with a gift; the ability to speak in each other's minds. The ability had to be honed and they had eagerly leapt at the chance, putting in as many hours as they did at their consoles.

They'd almost perfected it, too. Whizzing through a checkpoint puzzle in only seconds, Thomas was thinking about lunch when he heard the familiar grumbling drone. The sound was like the roar of an ancient dragon and was succeeded by the blare of an alarm that Thomas still secretly found chilling, even now. He paused his console with a single swipe, excitement buzzing under his skin as he spun his chair around and dropped to the tiled floor.

They had someone new joining them. Thomas _loved_ the days like these, when the Guard Team marched through the facility to the wash area with a new face. Thomas knew he got over-excited, the scientists told him often, but he didn't care. He was only eight, and even with his advanced mental abilities he was still prone to childish outbursts. Though he was always working on that. He called out to Teresa with his mind. When she responded, her voice told him she'd anticipated him, as always.

 _Teresa?_

 _You take it. I'm too busy._

 _Are you sure?_

 _Tom, you know i don't like to do it. Besides, it's probably another stinky boy. I'm sure if it was a girl they'd send for me._

Thomas didn't reply. He walked as quickly as he could to the doorway without running, and peered around the structure at the Guards who were sitting at the little table just outside. Despite the quite-loud noise of the alarm, the guards were continuing their card game, chatting as though they couldn't hear it. Oh Good, George was on! Thomas put on his best eager smile and started forwards, not trying in the slightest to keep the bounce from his step. George saw him coming and looked at him with a very straight face, but Thomas was not deterred. He smiled winningly, knowing the dimple on his left cheek would cinch it like it always did. He made his eyes a little wider, just to be sure.

"George?" he asked, his voice quiet and perhaps overdone in trying to make him sound younger.

The guard raised an eyebrow and simply stared at him. Thomas felt a little silly, shuffling his feet awkwardly. He knew George wasn't his friend, per say, but he was always pleasant to him.

"Could you please take me to the wash area? I - umm - want to- Can i? _Please_?"

Thomas waited, holding his breath as George and the other Guards looked at him. George was looking the most serious, the others looked almost amused, glancing between them both. Eventually George turned back to his cards, but as Thomas's heart started to sink he tossed them into the pile in the middle of the table and stood up. He put his hands on his hips and rolled his shoulders, crackling sounds rustling down his back. Thomas looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Come on."

Thomas beamed, practically skipping as he followed the man down the corridor and through the sealed door. They walked the familiar corridors, Thomas's excitement building with every foot they covered. By the time they'd reached the area where new arrivals were first deposited Thomas felt ready to explode. Dr. Paige was already there, deep in conversation with two of her lead scientists and a man in that dark uniform that made Thomas wary and well-behaved. Heads turned as he approached with George, before the Guard tapped his shoulder sternly and pivoted on his heel.

"I folded a good hand, Thomas. You remember that."

Thomas flashed him a sunny grin and waved him goodbye as he disappeared around a corner. He looked to the woman in charge. Dr. Ava Paige was tall and striking, with bold, auburn hair and cut-glass cheekbones. She held herself straight and stiff as though she had been military, and her blood-red lips maintained a straight line the vast majority of the day. However as she looked at Thomas she smiled. It was nothing but a slight incline in her lips, rounding her face a small amount. It wouldn't really be a smile on anyone else's face, but she was always so stern that the expression was friendly in comparison.

"Thomas. Curious as always. Couldn't stay away?"

Thomas shook his head. He watched her as she nodded before seeming to decide something. Thomas hadn't been too nervous. She almost always ruled decisions in his favour, and indeed now was one of those times. She turned and claimed a clipboard from one of the men standing beside her, skimming through it and flipping onto a second page, her lips ghosting over the words as she read. Then she stopped and looked up at Thomas.

"Our newest subject seems to be a few years younger than you. They report that he's incredibly withdrawn and so far he hasn't said anything. We've put him in the shower room. When he comes out i want you to begin his orientation right away. It's imperative that we draw him out before this becomes a permanent state of mind. Take him to the bunk room first, get him fed. Start him off, you know the drill."

Thomas nodded eagerly, pleased and proud to be given the task. His grin lit up his face and he could almost _feel_ the gleam in his own eyes. Dr. Paige smiled again, and Thomas knew she was pleased. He might be a little sad that Teresa never felt inclined to join him, but he was also secretly pleased. He felt guilty but it was true, he liked that time with new arrivals. He liked to be the first friendly face, the one to help them settle in. He liked making a new friend. Even if most of them drifted away after a while when they realised he got certain special treatment that they didn't.

He made his way down the short white-wash corridor to the shower room, listening to the sound of water rushing from the shower head increasing the closer he got. He stopped outside of the door, and waited for a while until the water shut off. He then waited some more, counting off several minutes in his head to allow the boy to get dressed. Then, with a deep breath and his sunniest grin in place, Thomas pushed open the door.

Sitting on one of the benches with his knees tucked under his chin and his back pressed into a corner was a small boy. He was almost a head shorter than Thomas, it looked like. A pale face flashed up as Thomas stepped into the room, and he got his first look at the new boy. His face was small and gently sloped, dominated by a pair of huge, dark eyes. His nose was perfectly in balance with his cheeks and his lips were quite dark against his milky skin. Even his ears were small and delicate. The whole image was topped off with a mop of untidy blonde hair, damp strands glinting in the harsh fluorescent light like warm gold. When he tipped his head to the side the effect was almost dazzling, and Thomas would swear the boy was hiding a halo in those curls. The boy blinked at him owlishly.

But Thomas was not deterred.

"Hi. I'm Thomas. Welcome to the facility. What's your name?"

The boy didn't respond. He sat so still that Thomas began to worry that he had somehow frozen in place. He approached the bench, stepping cautiously. Thomas wasn't usually the careful, calculated type of child. If anything he was the polar opposite, rash and head-strong, impulsive. He had good instinct, so things rarely ended in disaster, but it _was_ a trait Dr. Paige was trying to wean him from. However, the nervous energy that was rolling from the other boy was so palpable that Thomas could feel it grounding him, flattening out the impulsiveness.

When he reached the bench he sat down near him, but far enough away that he wasn't crowding him. Thomas only had the very vaguest of memories from when he was the new arrival, but one thing that stuck with him was that they were all around him all the time and they were _way too close_.

"I mean they'll probably give you a new name. They like to give us important ones." he frowned then, thoughtful. "I'm not really sure why."

He brightened his grin again, looking at the new boy's dark eyes. He still hadn't done anything but blink, but Thomas thought that was okay. It was scary being in a new place, but he'd settle down once he knew he was safe. Which he should probably tell him.

"You're safe here. It's okay to be scared, but you don't need to be. It's a good place here."

The boy shifted then. It was tiny movement, but it was so sudden after his frozen state that Thomas jumped, his breath a short gasp. He laughed nervously at himself, hoping he hadn't ruined his chances with the new arrival. To his surprise the smaller boy smiled. It was a small expression, a mere quirk of his lips, but it changed his whole face. It warmed his face and Thomas smiled back, hoping that he was making progress. At least he hadn't sneered at him like some of the other would if he'd jumped in front of them.

"We can go at get something to eat." he added, "You must be hungry."

The boy's eyes brightened, and as he straightened a little Thomas could see that his eyes were an incredibly dark brown, the light from the ceiling picking out amber in their depths. Thomas stood up, confident but friendly, and he offered the boy his hand.

"Come on. I'm starving."

The smaller boy looked at him thoughtfully before his knees dropped down, extending into longer legs than Thomas had expected. When the boy looked up at him again with those thoughtful dark eyes, Thomas was sure to smile gently, maintaining eye contact to show he could be trusted. The blonde boy took his hand and allowed Thomas to pull him to his feet. Thomas had underestimated. The boy was only an inch or so shorter than him. The boy was light and lean, built like sparrow. Thomas had already decided that he like him, but then again Thomas liked everybody. This boy was a little different though. He had an odd, unhappy feeling in his stomach when he realised that some of the others would instantly pick him out as one to pick on, like they did Thomas. But that could wait.

Without letting go of his hand, he led the boy out of the room and down the rest of the corridor to the dorm grid. He let out a relieved breath when he swung the door to his bunk room open and there was nobody inside. He liked this part with new arrivals, when they realised they were going to be fed and taken care of and they started to relax, to trust. Thomas liked being the one who made them realise they were safe.

The long table near the door was laden with plates, and Thomas grinned. There was also the fact that he always ate better on days when they had new arrivals. He tugged the other boy gently into the room, only letting go of his hand when he'd led him to the table. Thomas was going to sit beside him, but realised that if he sat across he'd be able to study him better.

The smaller boy eyed the plates warily, but he watched as Thomas picked out things for his own plate, and once Thomas had started eating he seemed satisfied to start himself. He didn't look like he'd ever been a big eater, but he must have starving because the boy ate twice as much as Thomas and more. He ate slowly, chewing thoughtfully, the whole act a process from start to finish and Thomas watched him curiously. The boy was neat, polite. Thomas had seen new arrivals who had been so hungry they hadn't stopped for cutlery, but this one was different. He was calm and collected where the others had been terrified, shaking. Intriguing.

It was as though he were his own puzzle, and Thomas wanted to figure him out.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

He didn't seem to mind Thomas's curious stare. In fact he seemed to be ignoring him, completely focused on the mechanics of eating. Thomas was okay with for now. He chewed on a roll as he watched, wondering about the new boy. He looked a lot younger than Thomas, maybe even as young as Thomas had been when he'd arrived. But he didn't seem as afraid as a much younger boy would be. He didn't seem _anything_ , and that fascinated Thomas more than anything else about him. He was so _calm_ , like this was just another day, another place, another meal. Thomas knew he hadn't had his first meeting with Dr. Paige yet, but even so the boy seemed to have no idea where he was and yet he looked like he didn't care.

Thomas's brain whirred and kicked into gear, sparked by this strange new arrival in a way that the Mazes had long since stopped. He studied what he could see of him carefully, analytically, starting from the top and working down. He was blonde, unusual for what Thomas knew of the vast expanse of the area. Most of the children in the facility were brown-haired like Thomas, some much darker like Teresa and a tiny handful auburn. There was a set of twins with dark red hair. But he was the first blonde child Thomas could ever remember seeing. So he probably wasn't from the same proximity of the facility as Thomas had been.

He was pale. Even if Thomas took fear or nerves of lack-of sleep or all of them into account, the boy was still the palest person he had ever seen. His skin was creamy and unblemished besides one dark purple smudge on the right side of his neck, about the size of a adult's thumb. It made Thomas wonder if there were four more on the back, hiding under the collar of his WCKD blue T-shirt. His face was interesting, and made Thomas think vaguely of stories he couldn't quite remember, fairytales he knew but couldn't remember ever being told.

Thomas wondered suddenly if the boy had magic, and then instantly dismissed the thought, feeling dumb and embarrassed and childish. His cheeks burned and he looked away, staring at his own plate as he loathed his own stupidity.

After a while more of the quiet, almost relaxing sound of the two boys eating, Thomas looked back up at the new arrival, startled by the dark eyes boring into his. He swallowed, feeling a little uncomfortable but suddenly resolved not to show it. He was determined to be a strong figure in front of this new face, wanted him to look up to Thomas as someone who knew. He looked back at him. Seeing how dark and unreadable those brown eyes were again made Thomas wonder if the child was really all that younger than him.

He couldn't pinpoint exactly why he didn't believe it, but he'd always trusted things like that. He had good instincts, and they were rarely wrong. He knew that he relied on them because of that and that Dr. Paige didn't like that he came to conclusions without properly analysing and finding proper reasoning or evidence. He felt bad, but it wasn't enough to make him reconsider. He'd ask her, just to make sure. Sometimes the new arrivals came with their proper papers from families or places that knew the things about them that WCKD wanted to know.

But sometimes, more frequently as time went on, children came without. But they were usually older, and able to give all that information up to the scientists. Thomas had come with two other boys, and with all of his proper papers, sent with him by his mother. Teresa had come alone, and without. She was the same age as Thomas, had arrived only a week or so after him. She was driven, and just as clever as Thomas. She had understood everything WCKD had told them, taken it all in straight away and been ready to start much quicker than he had. He and Teresa were very best friends, had been since almost the very beginning. But Teresa was a much more promising student than he was, even though their brainwork matched almost perfectly, with Thomas only just ahead sometimes.

Teresa obeyed orders. Thomas did too, of course he did. He knew the Rules, and he followed them. Almost always. The scientists were always telling Dr. Paige that Teresa was much better at being by-the-book than he was. They said it so much in the first year that Thomas had grown to loathe the phrase already, and even though he only usually heard it once a week or so now he still hated it. Sometimes when he feeling particularly rebellious or childish he would look for opportunities to leap to -correct- answers to tests without any evidence or working, just to annoy them. He was pretty good at making it look like it wasn't on purpose, too.

A few of the scientists didn't really like Thomas very much, even though they never said so. Thomas was okay with that. Dr. Paige seemed to have an almost-soft spot for him, so he got away with a lot of little things that nobody else besides maybe Teresa would do. Not everything, but enough to make it worth it. It just gave the other children another reason to avoid him. But it sure felt good anyway.

He was finished eating. It looked like the new boy was too. His plate was empty and he was sitting silently on his seat and just looking right back at Thomas. Thomas smiled.

"Feeling better now, then? I always feel better after having something to eat."

Still the boy just stared at him. It wasn't hostile, but it was unnerving Thomas very slowly. He looked away shyly and let out a nervous little sort-of-breath. He nodded.

"Okay. I was pretty scared my first day. I didn't know anybody, and i was only little."

He glanced back up at the new face curiously.

"Well, i wasn't _that_ little. I was five. I'm eight now. Are you really younger than me? You don't seem it, i mean. What's your age?"

The boy simply blinked again, but he tipped his head a little to side again, the same way he had in the shower room, and Thomas smiled again, encouraging. The boy's expression was thoughtful, and Thomas realised that it already looked like they'd chosen right with this one. He was studying Thomas the same way he had him, his gaze flickering over his face, his shoulder, his hands resting upon the table. He moved, playing his arms on the table, elbow at the edge just like Thomas. Thomas reddened, shifting automatically and lifting his arms away from the table.

"Okay. Uhm, what's your name then? I'm Thomas." he paused, a little chagrined. "I've already told you that. Uhm, i'm eight. And i've been here for three years. And this is a good place, newbie."

He paused, looking away and feeling silly. His cheeks started to burn.

"I meant, your name obviously isn't newbie, i just- well, i don't really know what to call you to be honest, if you don't tell me."

A lightbulb switched on so fast in his head that it practically left light spots behind his eyes like he'd stared at the shun for too long. He jumped from his seat, forgetting for a second that the new arrival might be a little on edge, and dove towards his bunk. He grabbed the notepad from under his pillow and scrambled under his bed for the pencil that had rolled underneath. He held it up triumphantly, turning towards the table with a grin.

He stopped. The new boy was on his feet, and had backed away several feet from the table, his eyes wide and his lips thin as he stared at Thomas. Thomas felt guilty, but got distracted by his brain commenting on the fact that he didn't look _afraid_. He looked at him curiously. The boy stood on the balls of his feet with his knees a little bent as though he was ready to run, but his expression was surprisingly blank. Besides the stance and the huge eyes that dominated his face he looked like he was just standing there. Curiouser and curiouser.

Thomas was already sure he wanted to be part of this boy's orientation from beginning to end, he wanted to watch and see how he reacted to _everything_ here, he was almost _dying_ to see how he would fare. Thomas had been interested in every new arrival, and more so in several that had stood out. He'd done lots of introductions like this one. But he was sure he had never felt his curiosity piqued as surely as it was now, had never found himself so _excited_ to see how the workspaces and the classrooms and the tests would make him react. He was almost amazed by the feeling.

Thomas was inherently curious by nature. He wasn't just one of those children who wanted to know how everything worked. He _needed_ to know. Just as surely as he needed to eat, or breathe. Just as he needed to know what made this blonde so different, what made him tick. But the longer he looked at him the more Thomas wanted to know other things. He wanted to know how clever this boy was, and he was betting on the top part of their spectrum. He wanted to know whether he was better with numbers, or with words. He wanted to know whether he was good with Mazes, or with the Situation Room. What was his spacial awareness like? Was he fast? Could he think on his feet or did he need every piece of a puzzle before he'd make a deduction? Was he Builder material, good with hands? Was he frightened by blood? Would the darkness of the Field scare him? More than anything Thomas wanted to know if he would be the one to _finally_ think like he did.

They were tested in many thing when they first arrived. One of them, and the one that had made Thomas such a curious study himself was the Siding. The first part was worked out with the results of most of the other tests. Then they asked more difficult questions and posed more scenarios than in any other test. And you were then given your Siding Label, or your SL. The test was usually just a procedural thing to dot the "I"s and cross the "T"s because every child that had ever been chosen and brought to WCKD was a LeftSide.

This was a DayOne thing, and then it was never used or need for anything else. Nobody but Dr. Paige and the top level scientists knew, and everyone sort of just assumed that you were a LeftSide because clever meant logical and that meant Left. In fact, Thomas was sure if he were to mention it to any of the children, even those who'd been with them less than a fortnight, they'd have no idea what he was talking about. But for Thomas it had stuck with him, because he had scored very highly on the LeftSide. He _had_.

But he had scored even higher on the RightSide. And so he was a RightSide. The only one in the facility. He shouldn't really know that, but Dr. Paige had met with him after he'd been given his SL, because of it being so strange. She'd retested him herself, and gotten the same result, even without allowing for his previous knowledge of answers from his first Siding.

There hadn't really been anything else to do but continue with his orientation like anybody else, but it had stuck with Thomas at that early age because he knew it made him different. It had been obvious.

So now, Thomas was longing for another RightSide. He knew it was a pointless wish because he himself was simply a fluke, Dr. Paige had said so. But hope is a dangerous thing. It latches on and it never really leaves, maybe even especially so when you want it to. As he looked at this odd new arrival who reacted with anything but fear at Thomas's sudden movements, Thomas wanted to know _everything_.

"Sorry." he murmured quietly, guilty. "Didn't mean to… make you jump."

He made his way over to the clear end of the bench, gesturing with a hand for the other boy to come back over too. For a second Thomas thought he wouldn't but then he did. Thomas grinned at him. He opened the notepad and laid it on the table, pressing the pencil to a clean, white sheet.

 _Hello._ he wrote. _Do you understand English?_

He turned the book around to face the boy in front of him, who read it quickly before looking back up at him. His thoughtful expression was back on, and Thomas watched as his brows dipped in the middle of his forehead to form his frown. It was pronounced and yet not aggressive, and Thomas was surprised at the sudden thought that it suited him. He didn't even know him yet. He watched as the boy blinked before nodding slowly. Thomas beamed at him, pleased. _Progress_. He turned the pad around and brought it back over, eagerly scribbling on it again.

 _Why don't you speak? Can you?_

Again he slid the book over and again the blonde look down at the page before his eyes met Thomas's again. He shrugged. It was barely a lift of his shoulders, an almost uncertain gesture. Thomas thought for a moment before he took the pad back.

 _Can you write?_

This time, the blonde nodded, and his lips quirked in that half-smile that made Thomas feel like he'd moved a mountain. It faded quickly but Thomas was not deterred. He offered the blonde the pencil, but he simply continued to look at him and after a moment Thomas lowered his hand, feeling foolish. He stared at the paper, absently re-reading his words as he thought over what he would put next.

 _Will you?_

Again the unreadable look. And then there was a nod, and that quirk of the lips. But this time the expression stayed there and the boy reached over for the pencil. Thomas felt triumph begin to prickle his stomach as he handed it over, and he tried his best to stay quiet and still as the blonde put pen to paper and began to write.

 _You said this is a good place here. Where is here?_

He looked to Thomas again, but this time he looked a little more expressive, his lips twisted to the side and something vulnerable in his eyes. Thomas swallowed, taking back the pencil.

 _This is the WCKD facility. Wicked is good. It's like research, science. We do puzzles and training, we're looking for The Cure._

He handed back the pencil with a small smile, hoping the boy would want to continue their conversation. His legs began to swing back and forth under the bench. If the other boy noticed the new sound he didn't say so.

 _But where is here? When do i get to go home?_ He was handing the pencil back before his eyes lit with a sudden thought, and he wrote more. _Were my family brought here too?_

When he handed back the pencil he didn't look up, and Thomas couldn't help but notice that his face had changed again. From what he could see of his face, the stoic blankness was disappearing. Thomas felt uncertainty about the facility wiggle in his stomach for the first time since he was first brought in. He didn't remember his mum very well, only that she'd told him to be good and try hard. And that she loved him.

But he'd been little, and his memory from then wasn't very good. The few young children that were in the facility with him had bad memories too, so it didn't worry him. But if he was right about this new arrival's age, then his memory was probably better, and it made Thomas feel a little sad, even though he knew WCKD was a good thing. He hesitated before writing, feeling older in that moment than he ever had before, and it was kind of scaring him just a bit.

 _I don't know exactly, i was little when they brought me in. We don't leave, this is home._

He sat the pencil down, afraid to look up at the other boy. It sat between them for a very long moment before the blonde's thin fingers reached for it.

 _And my family?_

Thomas took a deep breath, the bad feeling inside squirming just a little more.

 _I don't know. I've only seen you._

The new boy didn't take the pencil back. Even after a full five minutes. Thomas had closed his eyes. He wasn't brave enough to look up. He was starting to feel sick and he didn't really know why. He could feel something in the air, something that scared him, and it made him feel cold. He felt very young and suddenly vulnerable, and he realised his eyes were doing the burning thing they did when he was going to cry. He blinked, trying desperately to think of something good before he cried. He didn't want to cry in front of the new arrival, not least because he didn't want him to think he was a baby. Thomas knew he didn't have anything to cry about. (Even though sometimes he did cry without a real reason.)

He thought of Teresa. She always cheered him up when was down. Not that Thomas felt down very often. He was, if anything, far too excitable for that. Teresa had a brilliant smile, the kind that lit up a room when she wanted it to. It was a lovely expression on her full lips, and she had so many smiles that it made Thomas dizzy to name them all. She had her bright grin, the one that made him feel warm and happy. She had the cheeky one, the curled flick in the corner of her mouth that told Thomas she was teasing him even when she wasn't saying anything. She had the soft one, the one she saved for she and Thomas were alone, the one that told him she loved him just the same as he loved her.

It was like being hugged when she smiled like that, safe. Comforting. Thomas didn't know if he'd ever had any brothers or sisters, and he'd never been brave enough to ask anybody. But Thomas was sure that if he had any he'd have felt for them the way he did for her. He loved her the way he was sure it felt to love a sister. There were times when Thomas knew, awfully, that she was his only real friend. He felt better, like he always did.

The new arrival still hadn't raised his head and Thomas was afraid to look directly at him, feeling guilty without any idea why. He spoke without thinking.

"I'm sorry."

The two tiny words were loud in the empty room, and filled the air full of things that Thomas suddenly didn't want to think about. He wondered if the blonde had any brothers or sisters, someone who he felt for the way Thomas did Teresa. The thought of being taken away from her was awful, and even just thinking about it made his heart beat faster. He didn't know what he'd do. He looked up.

The boy was looking at his hands, twisting them over in his hands. His fingertips were pressing fierce, ugly red marks into his skin and he was watching them fade back into pale blankness. Or at least he looked like he was. Thomas watched him with an uncomfortable, familiar sorrow swirling inside of him. He didn't like when the new arrivals looked so sad, so uncertain. He didn't like watching their sadness while knowing he couldn't really stop it. They always settled in, everybody did. But at first it wasn't easy and some cried so much that Thomas would worry they weren't ever going to stop and they would be stuck like that, crying forever. Somehow, the blonde boy's silence and Thomas's inability to see any tears was worse. He felt so out of place, wanting to do something and not able to. He wanted to reach out but didn't want to scare him, so instead he sat and watched, and waited.

It was a very very long time before he looked up. A very very very long time, in which Thomas watched him, seeing the way his hair shifted when he breathed, the strands falling in and out of place as his shoulders went up and down.

He looked different when he looked up. There had been a wall there before, a blankness that had sheathed the real him from Thomas like a secret door, a hidden panel. When he met Thomas's eye again the door was gone and Thomas could see inside. His eyes went deep, so many things tucked away within them that Thomas knew he could look at him every day for years and never see it all. He offered him a sad smile, hoping he didn't look happy when it was so clear that the new arrival wasn't.

The boy surprised Thomas. He smiled back. It was a tiny, sad lift of his mouth that told Thomas that he was right and the blonde had someone to miss the way Thomas didn't. Someone he remembered, more vividly than Thomas would ever remember his mother. _And my family_? Family meant more than one someone. Thomas's chest hurt. He looked away, picking at his thumbnail awkwardly. He heard the boy moving the notebook, but he didn't look up. Not until the edge of the white pages pressed sharply into his arm. He looked at the boy before the page, but he couldn't tell anything. His eyes fell to the page.

 _Sam._

Thomas looked up with a broad smile, unable to help himself. His companion didn't look offended. Thomas looked back down at the word, sure he was right.

"Sam." he said, rolling it around his mouth. It sounded right, it felt right. "Sam."

He looked shyly up at the new boy, feeling silly and ridiculous and yet triumphant. He returned Thomas's smile tentatively, something new and more positive in his brown eyes. Thomas reached out a hand, an offering.

"Hi Sam. I'm Thomas."

If he was a little more delighted than he should have been when the boy shook his hand with long fingers, he didn't care.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

It continued for a little while, Thomas trying to coax the boy to speak and the boy steadfastly refusing. He continued to write though. Thomas found out that Sam had indeed more than one family member. He didn't want to talk - or write- about it though, so Thomas worked on keeping his curiosity in check.

 _How old are you?_ he wrote, handing over the pencil. "They think you're a few years younger than me."

Sam looked up at him at him as he wrote. His lips had an amused twist, a smirk that made Thomas feel like they had a secret.

 _Older than they think. Everybody makes that mistake. Or used to, when there was an everybody around._

Thomas was curious about his words but didn't want to push the conversation in a bad direction. He knew very little about what went on outside the walls of WCKD but he got the vague feeling it was nothing good. That's why they needed The Cure. Thomas smiled. He was already looking forward to working alongside Sam.

 _I'm glad you'll be part of The Cure with us._

As the other boy read it Thomas began to feel a little bit silly. He didn't want Sam to think he was a girl, but he'd told the truth. He liked the new boy already. He fidgeted. He needn't have worried, because Sam smiled his little smile at him when he looked up again. Thomas liked the way it lit his face up. It made him feel happy, as though Sam's smile was infectious.

 _Is that why they send you out first?_

Thomas read the words with a small frown, glancing up at Sam. He didn't understand the question. He didn't have to ask the question he wanted to, though. Sam understood his look as though Thomas had spoken, and he scribbled again on the paper. Thomas watched, feeling a little envious of the boy's handwriting. Sam's words were neat and perfectly straight, each letter just the right height and just far enough away from the letters on either side. Thomas's words were a stark contrast, and he felt silly, looking between them. His own words were scrawled, not entirely untidy but flicky and inconsistent where they sat between Sam's questions.

Sam looked up when he'd finished, his face serious and unreadable again. Thomas took the notepad back, his eyes racing over the words as though he could suck them into his brain faster. There was something almost exciting about exchanging notes with Sam. Thomas didn't often get the chance to write anything that wasn't directly connected to his workspace. It was kind of nice to write other words for a change.

 _For damage control. Do they always send you out first to pretend to be all nice so that children will do what they want? If that's the case, this place is really twisted._

Thomas was surprised at the wounded feeling that nipped at his stomach. Sam's words were hurtful, and Thomas wasn't really sure entirely why. He frowned, crossing his arms close to his body and suddenly feeling vulnerable. He shot a glance at Sam before looking away, shifting awkwardly.

They sat like that for a moment. Thomas could feel Sam's eyes on him but he ignored him, battling an embarrassing urge to cry. He couldn't even properly decide why he was upset. The more he thought about the feeling the less sure he was, everything mixing up in his head. Eventually he heard a short sound like a whirr. He glanced at the table without thinking, and what he saw made him want to smile again at the same time it made him want to squirm away. Sam had rolled the pencil across the table to him, and it came to a stop against Thomas's hand. He bit his lip as he picked it up. He didn't look at Sam but he did pull the notebook closer, trying to decide on how to reply.

 _They don't send me. I like to come when we have new arrivals. It's scary to be taken to a new place and it's not nice to do it all by yourself. Sometimes i can help. And it's not pretend. This is a good place to be._

If he pushed the book back across the tabletop a little harder than he needed to, Sam didn't say anything. Thomas waited until he could hear the pencil scratching against the paper to sneak another glance at Sam. The boy had his eyebrows drawn in a frown again, and he looked a little less sure of himself than he had before. When his eyes looked up at Thomas they were apologetic. The blonde boy bit his bottom lip and looked away, leaning a little further away from the table.

 _Sorry. I didn't mean that you weren't nice, and it has been easier not to be on my own. Thank you, Tommy._

Thomas's chest felt funny, and he could feel a warm feeling that felt like happiness trickling into his abdomen. He looked at Sam curiously, but the new boy was looking at his hands. He was picking at one of his nails. He looked nervous. Thomas picked up the pencil again.

 _Tommy?_

Sam looked over at the notebook and then back down at his hands, a red blush creeping over his cheeks. Thomas felt the happy-like feeling intensify. He was more sure than ever before that he wanted to work out this new puzzle that was Sam. He waited for a little while, but Sam made no move to reply.

Eventually, Thomas realised that they'd been there long enough and that Dr. Paige would be waiting to start Sam's first phase of WCKD initiation. He sighed, folding the notebook closed and taking it back over to his bunk, tracing a finger thoughtfully over the cover before tucking it back under his pillow with the pencil. When he turned back Sam was watching him with those dark, quiet eyes again. Thomas smiled a little.

"Dr. Paige is probably waiting for you. She'll be able to explain everything better than me, i always get everything jumbled up."

He felt his cheeks grow hot but Sam didn't snigger or anything. Instead he simply blinked in that owlish way of his and watched as Thomas made his way over to him.

"We should go. I'll show you stuff on the way and i can give you a real tour after dinner, if you want."

Thomas almost reached out to offer his hand automatically before his brain caught up and he stopped, feeling silly.

The last time they'd had a new arrival had been almost two months ago, and the little boy had been barely five. He told Thomas his name was Shane in the quietest voice Thomas had ever heard. He was tiny, drowning in masses of chocolate brown curls and blinking up at Thomas through tear-filled hazel eyes. He'd cried a lot, and quickly latched on to Thomas. He'd held Thomas's hand tightly as the bigger boy had shown him around, and even now that he had happily settled in to his new life as Charles, Chuck for short, he still often took to following Thomas around like a well-trained puppy.

Shane- _Chuck_ had been terrified and meek and Thomas offered his hand the way he thought a big brother would, pleased when it had made the little boy feel better. Many of the new arrivals Thomas had welcomed were younger than him, or roughly his age, and sometimes all they needed to feel a little safer was to hold onto something that wasn't scary. Something like Thomas.

But those boys were all afraid, something Sam very clearly wasn't. He didn't need to be reassured, and Thomas felt foolish. Sam was probably much too old to hold hands like a little kid. He jerked his head gently.

"Come on. She's sort of scary sometimes, but as long as people don't cause trouble she's okay."

He smiled at Sam as the other boy stood. He led the way to the door, looking over his shoulder at the silent brown-eyed boy behind him.

"I guess this is your real welcome. So… Welcome to WICKED, Sam."

Sam smiled his quirk-of-the-lips smile back at him, and Thomas pulled the door open. It closed loudly behind them as the two boys stepped back into the dorm grid corridor. Thomas led Sam up the corridor and then the next, the sounds of activity becoming louder as they navigated the empty halls. The noises were familiar to Thomas, soothing like the sound of a household. He quickly realised that perhaps he'd been wrong about Sam, and that maybe the other boy was actually a little frightened. He stuck close to Thomas. When the sounds of voices became clear enough to understand and they reached the large central hall that branched off into all the main hallways of the facility, he reached out.

Sam took Thomas's hand, clammy fingers tight around Thomas's palm. Thomas smiled gently at him, and Sam just nodded, his teeth worrying his bottom lip as he took a deep breath in through his nose.

"It's okay to be nervous, if you are."

Thomas muttered to him under his breath as they made there way through the now much busier corridors. People passing them barely glanced in their direction, but a few shot Thomas quick smiles as they rushed past. Almost everybody in the facility moved at a speed-walk, nearly every day was a busy one. Sam's fingers tightened the closer they got to their goal. Thomas squeezed back reassuringly.

By the time they reached the quiet little alcove that held the office of their leader, Thomas had noticed Sam beginning to tremble with every other breath. He smiled at him, one of his sunny grins that many couldn't resist. Sam looked back impassively. He didn't smile back, but Thomas was pleased anyway because he'd stopped shaking. He knocked politely on the frosted glass door, hearing the shuffle that told him Dr. Paige was closing a file and stacking it neatly with the ever-present others on her desk. She coughed, and Thomas pushed the door open.

"Hello, Thomas. So who have we today?"

Thomas glanced over at Sam as the other boy followed him into the office with round eyes. He could see Sam taking everything in, his eyes darting around the minimalistic room before resting on the impressive woman behind the large black desk. Sam looked so blank and yet so out of place at the same time that Thomas paused before he answered. The sudden urge to keep their written words to himself rose within him. He settled on the truth, or selective parts of it anyway.

"He hasn't spoken yet. He did have something to eat though. He should be okay till dinner."

He looked to Dr. Paige with his best well-behaved smile.

"Can i stay today? I'll stay out of the way."

He looked at her hopefully, knowing he was seriously toeing the line by asking but so curious about the blonde new boy that his bravery _just_ outweighed his restraint. It was a totally unheard of request, but Thomas figured if anybody could snag the chance it would be him. He sweetened his smile a little, hoping it would work on her. It didn't have as great a success rate with the strict WCKD head as it did most of the other adults, but sometimes it worked. She studied him, tapping a dark blue fingernail against her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"Have you finished Set Three? I want the new ones completed as soon as possible."

Thomas's heart fell considerably, and he could feel his smile doing the same.

"Almost." he hedged, fighting the urge to look away because he knew it would mean he'd lose. "I'm halfway through the last one."

His voice tipped upwards at the end in a questioning inflection that sounded childish even to his own ears. Dr. Paige continued to stare at them, and Thomas could feel Sam shifting beside him, moving marginally closer, his hip brushing Thomas's.

"Very well. But the extra time comes out of your own, understood?"

It wasn't ideal, Thomas would lose valuable free time to his workstation tonight. But a glance at the unusual boy at his side made it worth it.

"Understood."

He threw in a wide smile for good measure and Dr. Paige smiled wryly, lifting a thick white folder from the tower on her desk.

"Okay, lets begin."

Thomas led Sam over to the seat across from the red-haired woman before retreating to perch himself carefully on a heavy steel box that stood against one wall. Sam watched him before his unreadable gaze returned to Dr. Paige.

Thomas settled in with his chin on his elbows, propped on his knees as he leaned forward eagerly.

"We'll start with your name. Subject A5… Newton. Fitting."

She wrote in the white file as Thomas mouthed the new name to himself, testing it. He tried not to frown, afraid that any such act would get him sent away, but it was difficult. Newton didn't fit him at _all_. At least, Thomas just couldn't make it. _Sam_ on the other hand, Sam suited him. He watched Sam's unreadable face. He'd been with the boy almost two hours now, and he was beginning to notice subtle differences in his expression, little nuances he had missed before. He studied him, free to do so while the new boy focused on the woman behind the desk.

He was tense, Thomas was sure his shoulders had been much more sloped in the dorm room, and he definitely hadn't clenched his hands like that, Thomas would have noticed. In the brighter light of the office Thomas could see the faint lines near Sam's eyes, little creases barely visible in the pale skin. He wondered at them, fascinated. Were they simply _there_ , or was there a reason for them?

Could it be that Sam was normally an expressive person who scrunched his nose or smiled a lot?

The lashes framing those dark mahogany eyes were thick and dark, and the contrast between them and his creamy complexion made them striking. Thomas blamed the contrast as the reason why his eyes kept straying to the blonde's eyes. The closer he looked the more sure he was that Sam's jaw was clenched. There was just something… _off_ about the jawline that hadn't been before. But he looked the definition of calm, almost tranquil. It was incredibly strange.

He couldn't work him out, and he so badly wanted to.

Thomas didn't stop to wonder why.

"We're going to run a series of tests today, Newton. We'll start off with a simple word association and then we'll look at verbal and numeral puzzles. Then we'll have a quick hour or so in the Field, and then we'll stop for the night, let you settle in, get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll move on to something a little more difficult."

She looked up at Sam - _Newton_ \- the name sounded so wrong even just in his head - expectantly. The boy simply blinked back at her. She frowned. It was obviously not a response she had anticipated, perhaps not one she had had before. Thomas couldn't remember any new arrival who'd been as quiet as Sam- _Newton_. Sometimes one would come in and stay quiet for a few minutes or so until they adjusted to Thomas's presence, but never as long as this. Thomas watched, frozen, curious. He hardly dared to breathe.

"Newton, this is going to require verbal input from you. That is something you will have to be capable of. The process will be a lot smoother for you, we'll get through it quicker."

Still Sam- _Newton_! only looked at her, not even really staring. Thomas was surprised to find a small bubble of humour in his chest. He bit back the urge to snicker, aware that it would _definitely_ get him in trouble. He watched as Dr. Paige studied Sam, her eyes faintly narrowed and her arms crossed over her chest, the fingers of one hand tapping against her jaw.

"We'll start in the Field." she decided suddenly, and Thomas simply gaped. She'd given in. He'd _seen_ it. She'd changed a routine that had been in place since at least before Thomas had come. She'd _given in to Sam_. He pretended he didn't want to grin, confused and yet exulted by the new boy's quiet, passive rebellion.

It wasn't that Thomas didn't like Dr. Paige, and it certainly wasn't that he didn't think the work they were all doing wasn't extremely important. But Thomas himself had a rebellious streak, it was what encouraged his impulsiveness and got him into trouble. To see someone else go against the grain, and so wonderfully calmly, was just incredible. He looked at Sam with new eyes, a sense of awe building in his chest as the blonde continued to blink at her even still, his face giving nothing away.

"Thomas, why don't you get him set up in the Field? I'll be along shortly."

Her voice was clipped, and focused Thomas, thoughts of humour and rebellion gone.

"Yes ma'am." he responded respectfully, meeting her eye in as short a look as was polite, before his gaze sought out Sam- **Newton** _\- Sam_.

He smiled at him, gesturing with his hand for Sam to follow as he headed for the door. Sam met his eye and smiled too. And then, in an act of such brazenness that Thomas very nearly gasped out loud, Sam flicked his eyes towards Dr. Paige, holding his smile. It was brief, barely a heartbeat long, but it was there. Thomas couldn't look at her, knew he'd give himself away if he did. Instead he held the door open for the new arrival, following him out.

He threw him a look once he was sure Dr. Paige couldn't see, trying to put all of his awe and surprise and everything else into that one glance. And he was almost certain he was successful. Sam's eyes twinkled cheekily as he smiled that half-smile and slipped his hand into Thomas's again, even though in that moment he looked the furthest thing from scared.

Thomas _definitely_ needed to work him out.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

The WCKD facility was beyond massive. It was an incredibly vast structure that was constantly expanding. It housed hundreds and hundreds of people at any one time, from the children to the Scientists to the Extraction Teams and the Guard Teams and the Janitors and the Business people and Board officials and such who came and went. The parts of the one-building city that Thomas knew were only a tiny fraction of what was likely miles of sprawling corridors and rooms that ranged from Janitorial closets to ginormous open spaces like the Main Halls and the Field.

Thomas loved the Field.

He was a puzzle-solver by nature, of course. His brain was always in its element when breaking things down, analysing, finding the answers to satisfy his ever-awake curiosity. Thomas needed the answers to everything and as incredibly frustrating as that could be to the people who worked with him, it was his best feature. It was also his most valuable. It was the reason - though of course Thomas couldn't yet know - that he was irreplaceably valuable to WCKD, and why Ava Paige allowed him such leniency.

But the Field…

If Thomas's brain belonged at his workstation and the glowing blue screens, his heart belonged in the Field.

Despite its name, the Field was actually a collection of very large arenas, one almost two miles across, that were part of an almost inconceivably huge multi-levelled carousel structure that could be controlled by a very important secure terminal.

Thomas had yet to be privy to every arena, but he knew several from his years in the facility and was the child who had experienced the highest number, and probably logged the most hours there too. Thomas didn't stick to just coming when he had sessions, he also spent the odd hour or so of his free time there, when someone was feeling generous enough to escort him.

The arena that was _in the station_ , as the techs jokingly referred to it, was Thomas's favourite and he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. He quickened as he approached the glass entry doors, tugging Sam along behind.

He rapped on the glass, smiling winningly at the young woman behind the terminal. She was reading something that didn't look work-related, so Thomas knew she wouldn't be bothered by them. Her name was Louise and she was one of the loveliest adults Thomas knew. She grinned back at him with a wave and put her book aside to unlock the code-protected doors. Her curly auburn hair was scraped back in a bouncy ponytail that danced on her shoulders as she moved. Her blue eyes looked pleased to see him.

"Thomas! You're here at an odd time. Who's your friend?"

Thomas relaxed. Louise was one of the few people who made Thomas feel safe to say what he liked. She never got cross with him, the worst she'd ever done was when she had flu and he had been in a vexing mood and she had shouted at him before bursting into tears and apologising.

He looked to Sam with a smile, hoping to convey that Louise wasn't to be feared.

"Subject A5, Newton." he recited, feeling his face squirm as he said it.

Louise laughed, ushering them into the small office-like strip of metal and glass. The holographic wall between the small room and the Field arena buzzed every four or five seconds, a pleasant hum that Thomas had always liked.

"You look like that tastes bad, Thomas. I hope Dr. Paige hasn't caught you pulling that face."

Thomas blushed, shuffling his feet.

"No. ma'am."

Louise reached out and ruffled his dark hair, brushing off his formality with a smile. She led them over to her terminal, tapping a few keys until the screen glowed green and lots of little boxes appeared. She opened two new ones. Little spheres, full of straight lines, swayed on the screen. Thomas had asked very early on what they were, and Louise had enthusiastically explained that they monitored the people in any given arena, from heart rate to hunger to brainwork. He had even, to his surprise, been granted permission by Dr. Paige to watch a session and see how Louise worked the terminal and reviewed all the stats. Thomas had been fascinated ever since.

"She's pretty proud of all your names, you know. It'd hurt her feelings if she saw you."

Thomas grimaced. Louise made it sound so nice, but he knew it'd be less like hurting her feelings and more like getting on her bad side. And Ava Paige was not a woman to cross. He looked out into the green arena through the barrier.

"I know." he said distractedly. "It just doesn't suit him though."

Louise's hum of skepticism brought his attention back and he looked at her with a sheepish smile. She had raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, but her eyes twinkled pleasantly. Thomas shrugged, feeling a little bit silly.

"Why not?" she queried. "I quite like it. Newton, Isaac. It's a sensible sort of name."

Thomas hadn't thought about it like that, and he looked over at the boy who had been called Sam. The blonde was looking out across the arena with an expression of wonder. Thomas grinned.

"Cool, huh? It's my favourite one."

Sam looked at him, and Thomas could read his widened eyes as clearly as if the boy was speaking.

"Oh, there's lots of them. I haven't seem them all but this one's my favourite so far." he explained.

Thomas couldn't see Louise looking at him, or the amusement that painted her face as she eyed the pair of them curiously. He was too busy feeling pleased by the smile creeping over the new arrival's mouth. Sam looked back at the arena and Thomas felt suddenly and desperately eager to show him around. The arena was often Thomas's sanctuary away from the others and he wanted to share it with Sam to show him that WCKD was a good place. He looked to Louise.

"Dr. Paige did tell me to bring him. Can we wait inside? _Please_?"

Thomas never needed his special grins to persuade Louise. Please worked just fine but he smiled anyway because he liked her. She rolled her eyes and sighed as though it were a great imposition, giving Thomas a look that was such a pathetic attempt at eagle-eying that he sniggered.

"You get me in trouble and i won't talk to you for a _week_ Thomas Edison, you hear? That means no sneaking in after dinner."

Thomas grinned from ear to ear and nodded. Though it was a heavy threat, he didn't mind. She probably wouldn't last the whole week anyway, she was too nice. Louise returned to her seat, using her palm to draw her chair in as she typed rapidly into the keyboard. The large holograph wall slid down as though it were simply a large panel, and the sweet air of the arena reached Thomas's nose. He didn't bother trying to contain the excitement. He rarely did when he was in the arenas outwith a session, and when it was Louise it didn't even matter if he ran around like a crazy child. She liked to watch him.

He turned to Sam, eager and excited to show him the joy that lay within the Field arena before Dr. Paige came along for the session.

"Come on." he cried, tugging the boy forward.

Sam's brown eyes were different, bright and almost happy. Thomas grinned. The unreadable look was gone for now and Sam was smiling. They stepped into the arena.

Thomas's favourite of the arenas in the Field was, ironically, the one most like an actual field. It was a huge open green space, with real grass beneath his feet and trees and bushes down the whole length of the left side. There was a sky above them, blue and filled with sunshine, and the air was warm like it was early summer all the time. Thomas breathed deeply, the smell of wildflower and green leaves filling his nose. He looked at Sam, watching the other boy take in everything with an expression that was so reserved and yet so vastly different from his blankness of before.

Thomas was filled with the familiar rush of freedom that the arena gave him. He let go of Sam's hand and launched himself forward with a loud whooping cry.

Thomas tore down the gently sloping grass, running as fast as he could and shouting his joy into the air. He loved being free like this, able to run and behave ridiculously without the worry of getting into trouble. He slowed to a jog as he reached the last third of the arena before the boring grey wall ended the green life. He sought out the narrow stream, which appeared out of one wall and ran diagonally across the last of the arena before it disappeared into another grey wall without explanation.

Thomas had tried watching the water flow in to wall for hours, had tried tossing pebble which simply bounced off the greyness. He'd tried to run his fingers along with the water but with the same result. The water seemed to go through the wall but his fingers found a solid and immovable surface. Thomas had eventually had to file it under Questions To Be Answered At A Later Date. For now he skipped from side to side, following the water until he reached the ending wall. He could feel the sunshine warm on his skin and he was filled from top to toe with a warm and happy feeling. Shielding his eyes with one hand he looked up towards the entry to the Field base, where the new arrival still stood.

He waved to him, grinning broadly.

"Come on, it's safe!"

Sam still stood, and Thomas couldn't see his expression from that distance. He hopped back over the stream and jogged back up towards Sam. The blonde watched him approach with those quiet brown eyes, but he was smiling a small smile. Thomas smiled back as he reached him. Sam cocked his head a little as Thomas caught his breath, and the sunlight shone on his pale skin and glinted gold in his hair. Thomas was again struck by the childish thought that Sam could be an angel. He flushed.

"You going to come in properly? There's a stream down at the bottom, and if we're quick we could climb for a bit before Dr. Paige comes."

Sam thought about it. Thomas could see the curiosity in his eyes as he watched him looking at the trees and the green. He turned back towards the field, taking in the same sight Sam was seeing and trying to see it the same way, for the first time. It only made him love it more. He raised an eyebrow as he looked back at the blonde. He looked ready to cave. Thomas smiled and held out his hand.

"Come on. I'll race you."

And then something fantastic happened.

Sam _grinned_.

A full-blown, ear-to-ear, toothy _grin_. Thomas almost faltered in surprise, staring at the blonde in shock. Sam took his hand and looked up again. There was a sparkle in his eyes that Thomas found he liked straight away, just as he had his brazenness earlier.

The boys flew down the slope, feet pelting against the soft ground as they streaked through the grass like birds through the sky. Thomas lifted his face to crow into the air as they ran. They were almost perfectly matched. Thomas was a little taller but Sam's legs were longer and because both boys were reluctant to let go even to get ahead, their race ended in an almost inevitable conclusion.

It wasn't clear who stumbled first, but he pulled the other with him and the two went head over elbow, landing hard on their backs and miraculously without any breaks or serious bumps. Thomas was laughing, his breaths rapid as he tried to catch them between giggles, his heart pounding pleasantly from the sheer joy of running.

He turned his face, grass tickling his cheek as he looked over at his companion. Sam's eyes were closed but his grin was intact as he too gulped in air to catch his breath. Thomas watched him with a quiet sort of warmth spreading across his abdomen. He was certain, beyond any doubt that he would do his absolute best to piece together the puzzle the boy posed.

But even more so than that and no matter what it took, Thomas would make this puzzling boy his friend.

When he'd caught his breath Thomas sat up, wobbling the arm attached to the hand in his to get the other boy's attention. Sam opened his eyes and looked at him, his mouth a relaxed, lop-sided smile. Thomas grinned back.

"It's hard thinking of you as Newton." Thomas blurted, feeling his face heat up. But Sam only raised a single angled brow, an amusement in his eyes that told Thomas the other boy wasn't mocking him.

"I mean, i know that's who you are now, and it's what everybody will call you. But it just- I don't know."

His hand found its way to the back of his neck and he rubbed it awkwardly as he tried to work out what he wanted to say. He shrugged and looked away. His gaze tracked a bird as it hopped from the branch of a tree to the bush below.

"You just seem like _Sam_ now. Maybe it's because i know your old name." He frowned, realising that couldn't be true. "Well no, because i knew some of the others' old names. I dunno. Maybe it's just- I don't know."

He grinned bashfully, his cheeks burning.

"Sorry. I babble when i'm nervous." he flicked apologetic eyes towards the blonde. "It's one of my bad habits."

Sam- Newton turned his head side-ways and looked up at Thomas from his upside-down position. It startled a giggle out of Thomas, and he covered his mouth with his hand, feeling both silly and pleased. The blonde boy seemed so different from the way he had been just hours ago. He had relaxed, and he was _smiling_.

"Are you feeling better now? About Wicked, i mean."

Thomas let his curiosity get the better of him, and wished he hadn't when _Newton_ frowned. His brows angled the same way they had earlier and Thomas was surprised that it was already becoming familiar. He looked down at the grass, picking at it awkwardly with his fingers. Newton squeezed his hand and Thomas look up. Newton looked uncomfortable, but he hadn't shut Thomas out again with that blank stare. Thomas wanted to make him smile again. It was, after all, his favourite part of helping the new arrivals. He tugged the arm, getting to his feet and dragging the other boy up too.

"Come on. The trees are brilliant."

He beamed extra wide, just to be sure. Sam didn't return it, but he did nod as he allowed Thomas to lead him over to the trees.

Thomas loved the trees. He had taken to shimmying up their rough, sweet-smelling trunks and perching on a high branch where he would swing his legs and wonder what it felt like to fly. He could only ever climb when Louise was on and no-one else because the activity was deemed far too dangerous by everybody else, who followed Dr. Paige on such matters. It wouldn't do for him to get hurt, or die. That wouldn't help them find The Cure now, would it? But Thomas knew what he was doing, not that anybody would listen if he argued.

He looked down at the boy on the ground. Newton-Sam was looking up at him with that assessing look of his, the one that made Thomas sure that he was both older than they thought and also very clever. Thomas took the opportunity of an audience to try out something he had wanted to try for ages. He wiggled backwards, raised his arms and dropped, the backs of his knees gripping the branch. He heard a sharp gasp and looked down at Newton-Sam from his upside-down position, laughing at the sensation.

The blonde looked less amused than Thomas felt, his frown in place and a reprimanding look upon his face as he crossed his arms. Thomas smiled to let him know he was okay, but the boy didn't seem to understand because he continued to scowl at him. He began to feel like a little kid, like he'd broken a rule of some kind. Well, he supposed he had. He swung himself upright and managed it first time, getting a head rush that wasn't entirely unpleasant. The risk of it had paid off and it felt kind of great, to be honest.

He looked down at the unhappy blonde. Well, maybe not that great.

"Sorry." he muttered, getting back to his feet and climbing up to the next branch. "You should try climbing. It's fun."

There was, of course, no reply from below and Thomas peered down to look. Newton-Sam was looking up at the branches of the tree next to Thomas's with a thoughtful expression, and Thomas tried to hide his grin.

"Not that one. Try-" he twisted to get the angle right, pointing to a tree on his other side. " _that_ one. Much better branches."

He thought the blonde was going to ignore him, but then he moved and stood at the foot of the tree Thomas had indicated, looking up at it with that same thoughtful expression. Thomas swung his legs and watched a small bird in the next tree as it whistled and shook out its wings. Thomas felt the wondering again. What was it like to fly?

He whistled a two-note greeting to the bird, watching in delight as it turned to look for the source, confused. He repeated the sound and the bird chirped back curiously. He changed the notes, settling on a questioning rise. The bird whistled it back to him, mimicking. He repeated the whistle again but changed the last note, ecstatic when the bird copied him again.

Thomas was so enthralled he didn't feel the gaze of his companion as the new boy watched him avidly, brown eyes curious and amused.

Newton wasn't too eager about climbing to start with, but after Thomas's coaxing he had tried it and by the time the boys had climbed back down to the ground Thomas thought Newton was a natural. The sudden thought of having a climbing buddy on his secret visits was thrilling. Thomas knew he was getting ahead of himself. Maybe when Newton settled in and met all the others he wouldn't like Thomas much. The thought made Thomas sad but even at eight he could understand that it was a a likely possibility.

The boys were collecting pebbles and constructing little dams in the shallow part of the stream when Dr. Paige eventually stepped into the arena. Her very presence was enough to make them straighten, tossing remaining pebbles back into the water and heading up to meet her. Thomas was automatically brushing his trousers and straightening his sleeves. Sam seemed less concerned by how he looked.

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 _A/N: Thank you so much for all the lovely things you guys have said, it's wonderful to hear and really builds my confidence, as daft as that sounds. I'm really loving writing this, and i wanted to point out for anyone wondering that the skipping between names is on purpose. I'm hoping it shows the way that Thomas is trying to see Sam as Newton. Sorry if that doesn't come across!_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Quick Author's Note:** Hey guys! Thanks for all the lovely things you've been saying about this, i'm glad people like reading it because i love writing it! I received a comment about the role-reversal going on and i wanted to expand a little on that. Thomas of course is in his element and Newt is new. That plays a part in it. But also, when i think about the Gladers **before** , questions like "What made Newt the Glade Mother?" Like, what triggered that? Why does he take care of everyone, did he learn from the others how to be The Glue or was he trained by WCKD to suit the role? So as i was writing Thomas's reaction to this new arrival i realised that maybe Thomas played a part in moulding Newt into the person he wakes up as in the Glade. Just a fun fact about this story. I'll shut up now! Happy Reading!_

* * *

 _Chapter Five_

Thomas was worn out. Dr. Paige had quickly realised she wasn't going to get Sam to talk and so she simply instructed. At first he had looked like he wasn't going to co-operate but she had - very astutely - realised that Thomas was best suited to playing a bigger part than simply observing to satisfy his curiosity. Thomas ran the session with the new boy, performing all the basic exercise tasks and Running the different stations. Walls were assigned answers, or brands of answers, or equations or solutions, and the two boys ran between each in answer to problems and puzzles posed by Dr. Paige.

By the time she'd called a halt Thomas was utterly worn out. And he loved it. Thomas knew even from the beginning that he had a lot of energy to burn. The Scientists always said so. He knew he was supposed to be grown up by now, he wasn't a little kid any more. But he couldn't help the fact that there were days where all he wanted to do was chase leaves across the field arena or climb the rocky inclines in his second favourite. A work out like the Field initiation was good for Thomas. It mellowed him, calmed him, even though he didn't quite know how.

Today had simply been twice as fun because he'd had Sam- _Newton_ there with him. The blonde still hadn't spoken, but he had thrown himself into the task with Thomas's coaxing. Thomas didn't really think about it but Dr. Paige had made many little speculative notes over the course of their session pertaining to the apparent influence Thomas had already established with the blonde.

Dr. Paige had sent them off with the order that they had time to shower before dinner and down-time - Thomas was reminded of his commitment to finishing his day's Mazes. She stayed behind to look over the data with Louise, and Thomas was kind of glad. They'd be entering the fold of the other children soon, and Thomas knew he was being a little bit silly and selfish but he wasn't looking forward to sharing Newton's attention. He liked the odd, quiet blonde and he wanted to work him out. He wasn't at all looking forward to the others turning him against Thomas.

Newton-Sam was red in the face and flushed with sweat, his t-shirt sticking to him from their sunshine exposure. He was panting a little, and his hair was a mess from all the running. Thomas laughed when he looked at him, earning an odd but amused glance.

They walked back towards the hub in a comfortable silence. Sam seemed a lot more relaxed, and Thomas thought some of that was probably due to having the freedom to run around and let off steam. It always made him happier, maybe Newton would be the same. He thought again how nice it would be to have someone to visit the arenas with for fun.

Thomas led Newton back through the corridors he knew in his sleep, as familiar as the passwords to his station. Newton didn't reach out this time, confirming to Thomas that the new arrival was feeling much safer in the building. As the corridors got busier he did begin to stick closer to Thomas's side, but his expression was still open and relaxed. Thomas felt good inside. He was always a little proud when he could help someone settle in.

Thomas showed Sam- _Newton_ the closet in the shower room, helped him find clean clothes in his size. After dinner Newton would be given his own sets to keep in his own dorm room, but for now he would have to make do with spares.

The boys re-joined squeaky clean and tousle-haired, and Thomas felt content. He liked it here at the facility of course, and there was nothing better than a good field session, a shower and good company, and the promise of dinner. He waited for Newton to get ready. The blonde was taking forever to tie his laces. When Thomas watched him he noticed the blonde undoing and re-doing each step several times and his mind immediately went to work. S- Newton was definitely old enough to tie his shoes in seconds flat.

When the blonde finished and looked up at him with a timid smile it clicked. Newton was stalling because he was nervous. Thomas had chattered through the stall walls in the showers almost the whole time, about the other children and the dorms and everything else he could think of. He hadn't stopped to think that he might frighten him.

He walked back over to the bench, feeling very much like he'd gone back in time several hours. He sat down next to Newton and bumped their knees together with a smile.

"They don't bite. In fact most of them are great. They'll love you."

It sounded a little off even to his own ears but he kept his smile in place to back it up. Newton looked at him with the inevitable dark-eyed look and Thomas looked for all the different things in his gaze. Eventually Sam blew out a breath at his fringe, looking up cross-eyed as the tangle of damp blonde that curled over his forehead. Thomas snorted out a laugh, and Newton looked at him with the quirk-of-the-lips smile that made Thomas feel like he had achieved something great.

He stood, and with a smirk he offered his hand, half-expecting Newton to turn it down. But the blonde's eyes twinkled as though they were sharing a joke and he took Thomas's hand, allowing the brunette to tug him to his feet.

"Come on. Some of them are probably back already. You're gonna love Chuck."

Thomas led him back to the dorm grid, only realising when he reached his own dorm room that he didn't know where Newton had been assigned. That part was usually sorted out in the first meeting with their facility head, but she'd changed the venue when Sam hadn't spoken. The thought that the blonde would be put in a different dorm room and maybe even in a different corridor was oddly saddening.

He pushed open the door to his dorm, taking in the occupants sitting at the table. It had been cleared of the food from earlier and six boys sat around it now, two decks' worth of cards spread out upon the silver surface. Two more boys sat at the opposite end with pocketknives and lumps of wood.

Everybody looked up when the two boys stepped into the room. Thomas grinned, gesturing to the boy beside him like a Magician acknowledging his Assistant. Newton looked a little more nervous than before, but it was only in his eyes.

"Well, this is everybody from my dorm."

He pointed to the boys one by one. A slim, smiling, auburn-haired boy, a curious tall boy with messy black hair, a straight-faced asian boy, a tiny wide-eyed and brown-curled boy, a large dark-skinned boy with a welcoming smile and a shy-looking, scrawny boy with a mop of mousy-brown hair that fell in green eyes.

"Ben, Winston, Minho, Chuck, Siggy - short for Sigmeund - and Aris."

He pointed to the two glowering boys at the bottom of the table.

"Gally, that's short for Galileo, and Albert. We call him Alby."

He grinned at Newton.

"Everybody, this is Newton. He's new."

There was a snigger from the dark-haired boy with the knife that Thomas had pointed out as Gally.

"Well, no shit."

Thomas frowned. Gally was two years older than Thomas and never missed a chance to make it obvious. He didn't like Thomas much at all because he was treated differently and Gally thought it should be him getting special privileges. Thomas mostly just tried to ignore him and go unnoticed.

"Slim it, Gally."

Minho had spoken up, his face betraying how unamused he was with the other boy. Thomas gave him a small smile. Minho was a older than Thomas by a year or so and although they weren't all that close, he was nice enough to Thomas. Most of the others were, particularly Aris and of course Chuck, but there was a distance there that Thomas couldn't close. It made him sort of sad because he _liked_ the other boys. Well, he could take or leave Gally and Alby but he truly liked the others and it sucked that they had walls up when it came to him. Except Chuck, naturally. Thomas told himself the kid was too little to really understand it and that he would grow into the distance like the others, but a part of him hoped that maybe it wasn't that and Chuck was just a genuinely friendly kid who was as fond of Thomas as Thomas was him.

Gally simply snorted but he didn't say anything. Chuck got down from the table and bounded over to Thomas, throwing his arms around the bigger boy's waist and squeezing like he hadn't seen him in days.

"Hey, Thomas!"

Thomas knew he was really too old for hugs and he felt his cheeks burn because the other boys could see. But he liked Chuck, and Chuck wasn't too old for hugs, so that balanced it out, didn't it? Chuck peered around Thomas to look at Newton as Thomas ruffled the brown-curls. Newton had hung back but he smiled at him and Chuck turned red, smiling shyly back. Thomas looked at Newton and smiled awkwardly. He pointed to the tiny boy.

"Chuck." he stated, in case Sam- Newton had missed his intro. The blonde nodded, giving Chuck an awkward little wave. Chuck waved back and then looked up at Thomas with curious hazel eyes.

"Can't he talk?" he whispered, in a rather loud voice. Thomas chuckled and ruffled his hair again, making the younger boy giggle and squirm a little.

"Just give him time. I'm sure once he gets over how scary you are he might say hello."

Thomas felt uncomfortable talking about Sam like he wasn't there, so he didn't look at him. Instead he grinned as Chuck protested, batting at the hand in his hair.

" _I'm_ not scary." the kid pouted, and he didn't say anything else but Thomas didn't miss the way his eyes flicked over to Gally and back.

The snippy older boy terrified Chuck, and Thomas was always getting in Gally's way when he tried to pick on him. Gally hadn't liked Thomas much before Chuck came along. But the last few months had been hellish once Gally had discovered that Thomas would go out of his way to step in front of Chuck so Gally couldn't get to him.

"You thought i was scary when you arrived, you remember?" he teased, and Chuck simply blushed ad shook his head furiously.

"Nope. You're about as scary as the daisies in the Field."

Thomas laughed, hearing the other boys sniggering too. Chuck grinned widely, pleased as punch to have made them all laugh. He was braver then, tipping his head to the side and looking at the newest arrival.

"It makes you the newbie now, instead of me. Hi, newbie-Newton."

Thomas grimaced and threw Newton an apologetic smile but the blonde was smiling. It seemed the little boy was charming him as surely as he did everyone else. That was a good sign.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

"You didn't finish? That's not like feeling okay?"

Aris's green eyes were troubled by concern as they looked across the table at him. Thomas smiled at him, shaking his head like he was shaking away the other boy's worry.

"I wanted to watch Newton's initiation so i missed out on finishing on time and Dr. Paige wants this set finished tonight." he explained reassuringly.

Aris's face cleared and he grinned. Some of the other boys shuffled, surprised by what Thomas had said.

"Woah. That's so cool, she let you watch?"

Thomas nodded with a smile, glancing over to where Newt sat on Thomas's bunk with the notepad in his hands. He'd have to find Dr. Paige when he went through, they'd need confirmation of Newton's sleeping arrangements and they'd need time to settle him in with a new set if he wasn't supposed to be with them in dorm A. It was likely he would be placed with them - Dr. Paige had called him A5 - but it wasn't an absolute positive because Aris's subject code was B1.

"Yeah, it was really cool being able to see it happen. Mine was ages ago. I don't remember it much."

Thomas liked it when they had conversations like this, when he was included in their card games. He could almost pretend he wasn't so different from the others. Aris was smiling as he took another card from the pile on the table. Siggy was watching Thomas too, and he was sort of smiling. Chuck was always smiling, even though he was terrible at cards and didn't really understand some of their games very well. Minho wasn't smiling, but he wasn't really a smiley sort of person. Ben was sitting with Gally and Alby and whittling with them. Thomas didn't mind too much because that happened a lot, and Ben was always funny with him. Gally of course was the worst and Alby was just plain cold so Thomas avoided them anyway. Winston was grinning, throwing down his hand to the disappointment of the others at the table.

"Straight flush. I win."

The other boys grumbled and Thomas just laughed, gathering up his cards and Chuck's from where they lay in front of him. He'd been helping the younger boy play the quick round that Winston had set up, killing time before dinner.

"I think you cheated but i can't work out how." muttered Minho, making Siggy snigger.

"You always think he's cheating and it's just talk till you prove it."

Minho just raised an eyebrow and sent Thomas a teasing glance.

"Sounds like a challenge. Maybe we'll settle it in the Field, eh Thomas?"

Thomas grinned but didn't say anything, watching Siggy splutter and Winston pretend to look offended. Aris laughed.

"Ohhhh, fighting words guys! Careful careful, you know they don't like foodfights!"

Thomas laughed with him and Chuck bounced in his seat, talking over that he was hungry and it should be dinner time. Winston was collecting in the cards, throwing Minho mock-wounded glares.

"Typical." he sniffed. "Trust a Runner to challenge people to unfairly biased challenges because he can't beat us anywhere else!"

With a casual flick of his wrist that Thomas was always envious of, Minho threw his cards at Winston and of course chaos ensued. Thomas and Chuck launched themselves off the bench with their cards, spinning them towards the others as the scrabble for ammunition began.

"This means war, Minho!" Siggy shouted, his warm voice booming in their dorm room. Aris was cackling, already crouched behind one of the clothes trunks with a whole deck of cards in his hands. Thomas pushed Chuck towards him as he dodged a spinning card that Winston had frisbee'd at him, and the boys fell into natural alliances.

Thomas and Minho squeezed behind a set of bunks, their laughter making them powerless to push it out much from the wall. Aris and Chuck huddled behind the trunk, only made possible by Chuck's tinyness and Aris's weird ability to fold himself into tiny spaces. Siggy and Winston didn't bother hiding, tossing cards left and right and just taking more from the tabletop when they ran out.

The room was roaring with squealing and laughter and Thomas lost himself in the game and the sense of belonging he felt in that moment.

Eventually they were calling for temporary truce to scramble on the floor and gather up as many cards as possible before round two, and when Winston tossed a card at Gally for grumbling something, Minho joined in, flicking one at Alby.

Well. If the game had been heated before it was now war, and the whole room descended into a mad scurry, the air full of whizzing red and white cards and people falling dramatically to floor as though wounded. Minho stuck to Thomas as they dodged across the room, pushing each other and shouting to the others to watch out.

There was a whole half-hour of mayhem and by the time the buzzer in the corridor went off to signal dinner time the boys were sweating and laughing and panting, red faces grinning as they called the truce and last-ditch efforts flying over their heads.

Minho thumped Thomas on the back as he laughed and Thomas grinned up at him.

"I think Runners won," he said. "Beat the rest, hands down?"

He shook Thomas's hand as the younger boy nodded, both of them laughing at the protests of the others. They started collecting up cards as fast as they could to save themselves the job when they got back. Gally and Alby and Ben had already left by the time Thomas sent Chuck off with Aris. The younger boy was starving but he'd stayed to help anyway because Chuck was just like that.

Minho bumped Thomas's rib with his elbow as Winston and Siggy gave up too.

"Cummon small fry. Siggy'll eat all the rice if we don't get a move on."

Thomas waved him off with a laugh, rubbing his ribs.

"Okay, okay. Let's go."

He'd almost forgotten Newton was there when he caught sight of him. The blonde was still perched on Thomas's bunk, sitting cross-legged with his back against the wall and the notebook closed on his knee. He smiled at Thomas when he caught his eye and Thomas felt suddenly silly and little.

"Nearly forgot about you, you're so quiet." he laughed, placing the last of his cards upon the table. There weren't many left to collect now, just a few stray ones here and there. "The buzzer's for dinner, or breakfast. Or lunch. It means food, basically."

He pushed his fringe out of his face and smiled at Newton.

"Come on, i'll show you things on the way. You'll pick it up really easy, don't worry. We're back and forth all the time so you'll remember quick."

The blonde unfolded his legs and climbed out of the bunk before placing the notebook carefully under Thomas's pillow.

He followed Thomas down the winding corridors again and the noise of the large Food Hall reached their ears long before the doors came into view. Thomas grinned over at Newton.

"If you thought we were loud just now, wait till you hear it when everybody is in the same place."

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Thomas was sure the blonde stepped closer to his side.

When the doors slid open they were washed by the wave of noise and Thomas grinned automatically. He loved the Food Hall. The noise of everything and all the laughter and chatter was one of his favourite things about the WCKD facility. As he led Newton over to the join the others waiting at the Food Station he felt the new boy's fingers on his arm. He looked up at the worried brown eyes as he watched Newton looking around him. He put his hand on top of Newton's and smiled kindly when he looked at him.

"It's fine, you get used to it real quick, promise."

Newton relaxed a little, his shoulders curving down from where they'd been tensed. He smiled nervously back at Thomas and Thomas rolled his eyes with an attempt at humour.

"Besides." he said. "Most of them have barks worse than their bite."

Newton seemed to genuinely find that funny and Thomas was so pleased with himself he didn't notice Teresa beside him until she poked him in the ribs to make him jump. He looked at her with a grin. Her sapphire eyes sparkled as she smiled back him. She enveloped him in a hug, filling him with that feeling she always gave him. It was warm, and felt how Thomas thought being loved should feel and Thomas was surprised at the little twinge of sadness when he felt Newton's fingers leave his arm.

"Teresa!"

"Hey Tom! You didn't come back to your workstation, what happened to you?"

She looked at him quizzically, her blue eyes deep and twinkly and curious. Thomas smiled, drawing back to put his hand on Newton's back. Teresa looked at the new boy, her eyes travelling from top to toe and back again before she smiled at him.

"New arrival." Thomas smiled, looking at him reassuringly. Newton eyed her with his unreadable brown eyes.

"Welcome to the facility. I'm Teresa."

Newton smiled politely, and Thomas felt simultaneously smug and mean. It was a nice feeling that Newton kept that playful smile just for him. He felt like a terrible friend thinking it. He grinned extra widely at Teresa to make up for it.

"His name is Sa-Newton." he coughed to cover up his slip, felling his face redden. Sam patted him helpfully on the back.

Thankfully, Teresa hadn't seemed to notice, too busy looking the new blonde over with thoughtful sapphire eyes. Newton shifted his weight to his other foot, coincidentally shifting closer to Thomas, their shoulders brushing gently.

"Newton. As in Isaac. Clever." she pondered, in what Thomas called her analysis-voice. It was detached enough to sound almost clinical but curious enough to betray her engagement. Thomas smiled.

 _He's not a talker._ he told her in his head. _I think it makes him uncomfortable._

Teresa rolled her eyes with an amused expression. She always found his emotional engagement with new arrivals endearing but a little odd. She didn't _dis_ like new arrivals. She liked them well enough. But she didn't really get involved with them much, not even the girls. She had a handful of girls she called friends but she just didn't really share Thomas's enthusiasm to work out the people inhabited by the brains WCKD selected.

 _You're so sweet, Tom. Mothering your little strays until they find their feet._

Her words were teasing and light, and Thomas knew it was silly to feel wounded but he couldn't help it. He puffed out a breath as he looked into her eyes and she smiled softly at him.

"Well," she said, "you should come and sit with us, Newton. Have you been assigned to Thomas's dorm?"

She looked at Newton expectantly, and Thomas looked at him too. Newton looked to Thomas with surprised brown eyes before shrugging pathetically, looking between Thomas and Teresa as though he didn't quite understand. Teresa hummed curiously, but she didn't say anything else. Thomas nudged her forward in the line.

"Dunno yet. I'm going to check with Dr. Paige when i head through. She moved the order of his initiation around so we didn't get to the paperwork stuff." He grinned at Newton. "We did the Field first. It was fun, getting to run through an evaluation. I don't really remember mine."

Teresa raised her eyebrows, but she didn't seem as surprised as the boys in Thomas's dorm had been. She had known for a long time about his longing to sit in on an initiation.

"She finally let you watch, huh?"

Thomas shrugged, feeling suddenly bashful.

"Yeah. It was so interesting! I wish you'd come, Tee. You'd be interested too."

Teresa looked at Newton and then at Thomas, one of her smirks dancing on the curl of her lip.

"I bet." was all she said before she turned around to take her turn at filling her plate. Thomas didn't really know what she meant by that, and he couldn't shake the notion that her words had carried a double-meaning he couldn't quite grasp. His face felt warm and he grabbed a tray to busy his hands.

Thomas stayed with Newton while the blonde shyly picked out foods, watching him with a faint smile. He was timid and hesitant but didn't seem afraid, as though he were more nervous of being Impolite than of any danger. New arrivals were often a little uncertain for a while until they settled, but Newton seemed to just accept it and get on with what he'd been led to do. It was incredibly intriguing and Thomas couldn't stop staring at him, waiting to see what he'd do next.

Newton looked over at him with a shy smile to indicate he was finished, and he followed Thomas diligently as he led him through the mass of tables and noisy children to one of the longer tables. Thomas slid into the seat opposite Chuck, leaving the space beside him open for Newton. The blonde sat beside him on the bench, close enough that Thomas could feel him brushing against his side as he moved. Chuck looked up with a grin when he noticed Thomas, and Thomas laughed at the spaghetti sauce moustache the younger boy was sporting.

"You got it on your face again, Chuck. Why d'you always choose spaghetti when you know how much mess you make with it?" he teased, reaching over the steel table top with a napkin. He scrubbed it over Chuck's face, laughing when he wriggled in protest.

"Because it's _the best_ , duh." Chuck giggled, batting Thomas's hands away.

He scooped up a clump of spaghetti that was way to big and bit into it, smearing the orange-red sauce up one side of his mouth on purpose. Thomas rolled his eyes and pretended to scold him, but Chuck paid no heed. Teresa chuckled from where she sat next to Chuck.

"Don't bother, i've cleaned him _twice_ already." she muttered, holding up her soiled napkin as proof. "He's determined to look like an orange monster by the time he's finished."

She flicked Chuck's sticky nose to emphasise her point and he snorted a giggle in reponse, almost choking on his mouthful of meatball. Thomas ducked to the side in an exaggerated dive, making Chuck laugh more.

"Doon't do _that_ ," he cried in mock-horror. "He'll spray it _all over me_!"

He pulled a dramatically horrified face when Teresa and Chuck just laughed gleefully at him. Thomas pouted, stabbing a fork into his chicken.

"Animals." he muttered to Newton from under a fake frown, forgetting his petulant act in an instant when the new boy beside him let out a surprised chuckle.

The sound was warm and playful and gave Thomas a happy feeling. Newton's brown eyes twinkled when they met Thomas's. When Newton laughed his whole face became expressive, and Thomas had been right. The little creases at the edges of his eyes deepened, and he scrunched his nose up as the chuckle grew. His lips parted in a wide grin to release the sound, his teeth almost crooked in the way they smiled.

The moment was over almost as soon as it had started and Thomas felt oddly satisfied despite the bereft feeling he was left with when the warm noise faded from his ears. He realised he was staring but he couldn't help it because there was something about the way that the blonde boy's cheeks turned pink, the way he looked down at his plate, long lashes fluttering over the tops of his cheeks.

Thomas couldn't work it out at all and it was enchanting. He'd never been able to turn down a puzzle, a good challenge. And here was his greatest one yet, sitting right beside him and picking hesitantly at the carrots on his plate as Thomas ate his own dinner and watched him.


	7. Chapter 7

I know it's been eagerly awaited. The moment has finally come.  
Newton speaks his first words at the WCKD facility.  
(I hope it lives up to the anticipation!)

* * *

 _Chapter Seven_

Thomas sighed as he wandered down the empty corridor. He hummed tunelessly to himself in the quiet as his mind meandered. Inevitably, it seemed, it settled on the subject of their newest arrival again. Thomas was beginning to realise that Newton was as different from any of the previous new arrivals as could be. And it wasn't just him that was different, Thomas mused.

He'd liked the new boy right away, which wasn't all that strange. But he was surprised at how much he liked him already. Thomas had always been friendly, but that didn't mean he liked people tremendous amounts right away. And yet somehow Sam had won him over in the space of a mere hour, so much so that Thomas felt the boy was destined to be his best friend. Well, except for Teresa.

It was odd, and of course it piqued Thomas's curiosity at himself. He'd couldn't remember ever liking anybody this much so fast except for Chuck, and even then this was different. He couldn't work out how it was different, it just _was_. He felt like he had feelings he didn't have names for buzzing away inside. He sighed again, his eyes skimming the familiar empty walls as he approached his dorm room.

He could hear the muffled sound of voices travelling up from their door and smiled. It sounded like the boys were engaged in another raucous game and Thomas sped up, his step gaining a spring as he became eager to join them. However as he drew nearer to the door, Thomas realised the tone was all off for a game. He covered the last of the distance in an almost run, wondering who was on the receiving end of Gally's wrath this time. He had a horrible suspicion even as he pushed open the door, almost tripping over Aris who was crouched down near the end of the table, pulling cards up off the floor. He looked up when Thomas entered, his expression the quietly worried one he always wore when people were arguing.

"Just leave him alone, dude."

"For shuck's sake don't be a _crank_ , Gally!"

Minho was leaning against the edge of the opposite end of the table, his arms crossed over his chest. Thomas could only see him from the back but he knew the expression that would be on the asian boy's face just as surely as he knew Gally had started whatever was going on. He had barely made it into the room when Chuck barrelled out of nowhere, reaching for Thomas. He was a tiny thing, and with some effort Thomas could lift him up. Nobody else other than Aris seemed to have noticed he was there, they were so intent on talking over each other.

"Why does it even matter that-"

"Sure it's _strange_ , but maybe he'll-"

"- such a shuck-face!"

Chuck was crying, his hazel eyes pools of sadness and several of his curls dampened by him swiping at his tears. Thomas frowned, momentarily ignoring the heated argument of the other boys to focus on Chuck. The youngest boy hiccuped loudly as he tried to get his words out over the riot that was taking place.

"G-Gally is b-being m-mean ag-gain!" Chuck wailed, and Thomas hugged him as best he could while holding him up, letting the little boy burrow his face into his shoulder as he cried. Thomas made his way around the table, forcing himself to ignore the cluster of boys. He gently deposited Chuck into his bunk and smiled as Chuck grabbed for his stuffed giraffe. He'd come to the facility with it and when it got taken away he wouldn't stop wailing and pitching fits until the scientists had given it back. It was an old and worn toy, but Chuck insisted it shower with him, bathing the brown-splodged, sandy fabric in the sink and getting Thomas to hang it up to dry in the warming room where they kept the towels. He looked up at Thomas with scared eyes but Thomas ruffled his hair.

"It's okay, Chuck. What happened?"

Chuck shook his head in a very serious manner, scrubbing at his eyes with the back of the giraffe's head. He sniffled, jumping when one of the boys gave a particularly loud shout. Thomas tucked Chuck in, smiling at him as he reassured the little boy that he would fix whatever was wrong and make things okay again. He sat there for a moment, trying to keep at bay how much he wanted to find out what was going on. He glanced over, but the boys had formed a tight semi-circle and he was incredibly suspicious that he knew what was happening. He fought to sit still as he watched the little boy's eyes begin to droop, his heart swelling with affection for him. Sometimes it took so little for Thomas to get Chuck to go to sleep.

Chuck's bunk was the one after Thomas's, with a trunk and chest of drawers against the wall in between. It was Thomas's bunk that the boys were gathered around and Thomas felt his stomach lurch, knowing exactly what was going on even before he pushed his way through the small group.

Gally was leaning against the bunks, one of his hands curled around the bars of the top bed and his head ducked under. He did that to Thomas quite frequently when he wanted to cause trouble, backing Thomas against the wall in the way he knew Thomas hated. When Thomas stepped up beside Minho he saw exactly who he expected to see huddled with his back against the wall.

Newton.

Gally was using his size to threaten Newton, Thomas just knew he was. Why the older boy felt the need he didn't know. He glared at the back of Gally's head, already feeling himself becoming angry before he'd even confronted him.

"What's going on?"

Minho looked at him. Minho didn't normally side with Gally when the boy bullied Thomas, and in fact he couldn't _stand_ Gally at the best of times. But he wasn't really Thomas's friend, not in the way Teresa was, or Chuck. It was a strange sort of acquaintanceship, and Thomas wished he could figure out how to break the wall that stood between them because he actually rather _liked_ Minho.

"Gally's doing his whole _initiation_ bit again." muttered the asian boy, returning his gaze to the centre of everybody's attention. "Obviously he waited till you were gone because he's a shuck coward and knew you'd step in again."

Thomas felt an indignant irritation flare inside of him, and the thought of Gally bullying Newton made him feel something that felt a lot like fear. He pushed forwards until he was level with Gally at the bunks. The other boys stepped back to let him past, and he could feel all their eyes on his back. He tried to ignore it.

"Leave him alone." he shouted over the noise of the other boys, glaring at Gally when he turned to sneer at Thomas.

"You shut your shuck mouth, Thomas. Newton here's just going through initiation, isn't that right?"

He gave an ugly laugh, turning towards the blonde boy. Now that Thomas could see him properly, he had to give the new arrival some credit. The blonde was trapped, backed into the small space by Gally's much larger frame. But he didn't look afraid. He was levelling his gaze at Gally, his frown in place and something dark in his eyes. He was clutching Thomas's notepad to his chest. Thomas felt an unexpected pang in his chest, and the want to protect the new boy doubled.

"Seems your _boyfriend_ here doesn't know how to talk. He's just a dumb little shank, probably the only reason he hangs around _you_."

Thomas bristled as the older boy spoke, his insides feeling hot and angry, and a desperate temptation to lash out at Gally rising steadily. He'd get into _mountains_ of trouble for fighting, he knew that. But Gally was the only one who could truly push Thomas's buttons the way he did.

"Shut _up_ and leave him alone." he growled out, only more annoyed when Gally laughed at him.

"Or _what_?" he taunted, reaching in to yank the notebook from Newton as though to prove he could. The blonde didn't say anything, but his eyes were suddenly very expressive, filling with an anxious sort of sadness that made Thomas feel sick and itchy inside. He snapped back at Gally before he'd really thought about it, too busy thinking that he really wanted to take the notepad from Gally's stupid hands.

"Or i'll make you."

It was as though every boy in the room had had his words taken away from him. Gally turned around to face him incredibly slowly. It took Thomas's brain a long moment to register what his own mouth had said. The uneasy feeling in his abdomen grew as he began to regret it. Gally looked shocked, but it melted off of his face into an ugly sort of glee. He sucked in a breath, and Thomas could suddenly hear the breathing of the other boys, wondering when they'd stopped.

"You'll _make me_?" Gally repeated, the disbelief in his voice painted with the nasty undercurrent only Gally seemed capable of.

Thomas said nothing. Gally looked between the faces of the other boys, beginning to laugh.

"That's the funniest thing i've ever heard you say, _Thomas_."

The older boy spat his name like it tasted foul, and reached out to knock Thomas's shoulder roughly. Thomas stumbled back but didn't response, still glaring back at him. Gally found that even funnier.

"Must be your sense of humour he responds to." he mocked, thumbing over his shoulder in Newton's direction.

His dark eyes were taunting and Thomas could see how much Gally was enjoying this, a new reason to bully Thomas. A new button to press. Thomas stood his ground with his hands balled into fists at his side but he didn't say anything. He didn't expect anyone else to step in, had learned by experience that if it wasn't their battle they wouldn't take part, which was fair enough. What he had to hope was that Gally didn't have anybody back himself up. Thomas was pretty much the youngest save for Chuck and Aris, and most of the others were bigger than him. Gally leered.

"What's the matter, _Thomas_? Cat got your tongue? Or did our new little friend here bite it off when you were _kissing_? Maybe he's already starting to go _Crank_. Maybe he's already one of those crazies like your shuck parents. Probably why he doesn't talk, he's bitten _his own_ tongue off-"

Thomas shoved him roughly. Gally was bigger than him and broader by a mile but he wasn't expecting Thomas's response and he stumbled backwards into the dresser, knocking things off the top, dropping the notebook. A can of deodorant rolled across the floor with an echoey swoosh as Gally pushed himself back up. He had a twisted snarl on his face as he glared at him, and Thomas stepped back automatically.

"Leave him alone." he stated forcefully, feeling his own face snarling back, feeling angry and protective more than afraid. "He's _not_ a Crank. He's just _new_. Give him time to settle in, yeah?"

Gally snorted, pacing towards Thomas menacingly. He poked his finger into the younger boy's chest as he spat a response.

"You mean give him a minute to _follow you about_ like a love-sick girl? You just like feeling all important, leading him about."

He poked Thomas hard in the chest, hard enough to bruise. Thomas winced, and Gally merely laughed in his face.

"Looks like he's contagious. It's time your little _boyfriend_ here found out that you're really nothing special like you seem to think. It's time he learned who's really in charge around here, and for _your_ information," he turned to the blonde on Thomas's bunk then, his sneer curling around his mouth into a dark smirk, "it isn't this little slinthead here."

"He's not my _boyfriend_. He's just new."

Gally turned back to Thomas in a sudden whirl and shoved him _hard_ , catching him off-guard and sending him sprawling to the floor. Thomas twisted to sit up, pushing away a bit with his feet in surprise.

"That's enough, Gally. You've made your point."

Gally shot Minho a dark glare before very deliberately aiming a sharp kick at Thomas's ribs. Thomas cried out in pain, rolling away and clutching his side. It already throbbed and he felt tears prickling his eyes and tried to swallow the sense of shame welling up inside. _Great_ , that was all he needed, to cry like a little kid in front of all the others.

He could hear them grumbling in disapproval, and that small comfort gave Thomas something to focus on as the initial waves of pain levelled out. The spot where Gally had struck him was beginning to pulse already and he knew it'd be sore for ages, it just had that feel to it. He sniffed, cringing at the pain of breathing in too sharply as he drew himself up to his feet.

Gally sneered triumphantly at him, his dark gaze boring into Thomas almost painfully.

"There we go, Thomas. Now he knows. He'll join us, off your hands. No more baby-sitting."

Gally backed away, sauntering over towards his own bunk, pushing through the gathered boys. Aris and Minho and Siggy shot him dark looks but they let him pass. Nobody moved for a long, quiet minute as Gally swung up the rungs to his bunk, dropping back onto the mattress and opening a book. Thomas watched him, feeling himself seethe.

"Actually, i'll stick with Tommy, thanks."

Heads whipped around at the new voice, mouths agape at the sound of it. Thomas couldn't believe it. Newton looked up at them all from under his lashes before his brown eyes settled on Thomas and he smiled faintly.

"Even if he _ain't_ my buggin' boyfriend."


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_

Thomas stared. The dorm room was silent, every boy surprised into it by the unexpected sound of _that voice_. Thomas was awed. The voice, the one that had come from _Newton_ , was absolutely fantastic. Thomas had never heard anything like it, even as he somehow registered that it just _had_ to be British. The words were soft and warm, his voice accented as though in a slant, skewed to one side and sort of _defined_ in places where their own American accents were rounded. Thomas blinked.

He really, _really_ liked it.

The blonde had flushed red, looking uncomfortable and aware of everyone staring at him even though he didn't take his eyes from Thomas. Thomas stared right on back, still processing the knowledge that Newton, their silent new arrival, had _spoken_. The silence dragged on for a very long moment. He saw Newton's smile slip, watched in a trance-like fascination as the boy seemed to shrink, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth nervously. Thomas felt a completely new feeling gather in his chest, something that was so like the affection he felt for Chuck and yet so incredibly foreign that it left him stumped. He swallowed, realising he should probably say something to put Newton at ease.

" _Buggin'?_ "

That was not what he'd been planning to say at all, and he screwed his face up at himself. Newton shifted bashfully, finally dropping his gaze to the floor under the bunk. Thomas felt bad then, guilty that he was leaving Newton to feel so exposed. But what snapped him out of his stupor wasn't how vulnerable Newton was starting to look.

It was the rumbling snigger that exploded behind him. The sound surely came from Gally, but it was soon joined by a laugh that Thomas thought sounded like Alby. Suddenly they were all laughing, whether from surprise or because they genuinely found the blonde's accent funny, Thomas couldn't tell. He threw a dirty look over his shoulder at them all.

"It's not _funny_."

The older boys simply laughed harder at his petulant tone, and he looked at Aris and Minho. The others he knew were like that, but Aris was _nice_ , and Minho wasn't a bully. They looked back at him, Minho with a wicked grin and Aris almost guiltily.

"Sorry Thomas, uhm, Newton. I was just surprised." Aris muttered.

Thomas forgave him, of course. He liked Aris.

"Yeah, sorry."

"Sorry."

Winston and Siggy were looking strangely at the blonde on Thomas's bunk, eyes alight with curiosity. When Thomas looked at Minho the older boy simply hummed and rolled his eyes. Thomas took it as an apology. Newton shrugged, very red in the face and shifting awkwardly.

"S'Alright." he coughed.

Thomas was hooked. Completely and _utterly_ hooked. As the laughter of the others settled back down and they began to chatter, Thomas approached the new boy slowly. He sat down next to him, suddenly feeling nervous and uncertain. When Newton didn't look up Thomas bumped their shoulders together playfully. He ducked his head and smiled, trying to communicate to Newton that he didn't need to feel so vulnerable. Newton finally flicked a glance up at Thomas, and he could see that the blonde was chewing on the inside of his cheek. He brightened his smile.

"Sorry." he murmured quietly. "We've uh, never had anybody who sounds like you do."

Newton blushed, his cheeks turning a deep red against his pale skin. Thomas thought it was sort of nice, like when Chuck got all flustered and confused, and yet it was totally different. The feeling he felt when Newton turned red was weird and new and it wiggled warmly inside him. If he thought the boy a puzzle before, then now he was an absolute mystery. Thomas could actually _feel_ the desire to solve him build.

"You must have been pretty far away from here." he said without thinking.

Newton looked at him curiously, his brown eyes without their walls again. Thomas took that as a very good sign, even though it made him feel like the blonde could see inside of him. He could feel his own face warming up.

"Well, i mean you're really really pale, and you're really blonde and- well, uhm." He was well and truly blushing now, feeling exposed under he intense look from Newton. "Well your accent, obviously."

He shrugged uncomfortably, wanting to look away from the burning stare and yet scared that if he did Newton would clam up again and they'd be back to square one.

"Hey _lovebirds_ , it's shower time. Better go now if you don't want dorm C hogging all the hot water."

Thomas jumped, looking over at Minho with a scowl. The asian boy was simply smirking at Thomas, ignoring the offered high five from Alby as Gally and Ben howled with laughter. Minho raised his eyebrows, and somehow Thomas couldn't dislike him as much as he might have done if Ben had said that, or as much as he definitely would have Gally if he had. He lowered his own eyebrows further to show how unimpressed he was, and Minho's smirk simply softened into a broad smile. Thomas remembered that Minho already knew they'd showered. Thomas had told him they'd done so after the Field, he was sure of it. His frown deepened as he thought about it.

"We've been. Had the Field today."

Minho rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Suit yourselves, shuck-face. Cummon' shanks, if C get there first it's cold water all round. Let's _go_."

Minho was herding the other boys out of the room when Thomas finally realised what the asian boy was doing. Aris went out second last, and Minho looked back as he pulled the door closed behind him. Thomas mouthed a "thank you" and Minho rolled his eyes. The door closed with a click. With all of the others gone the only sound in the room was the quiet snuffling from Chuck. Thomas looked over at the littlest member of their dorm, feeling his fondness for Chuck wrap around his heart. Newton shifted beside him, leaning back to look at Chuck too.

"He's, ahh, lovely." Newt said carefully.

Thomas flashed him a sunny grin, pleased that the new boy hadn't reacted to Chuck the way Gally and Alby had, annoyed by the arrival of the much younger boy. Newton was flushed and nervous looking, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Thomas pressed their shoulders together again. He'd found over the course of the day that touches like that worked much better at calming Newton than any of his words had.

"He's pretty much my little brother." Thomas replied, before he realised what he'd said. "Well, i don't remember if i ever had any, but if i did i know that he'd mean the same. Like Teresa, i'm pretty sure i love her like she's my sister."

He felt his face heating up, an anxious discomfort appearing like a worm in his stomach. He'd never told anyone that, why had it just come out of his mouth? What if Newton reacted just like the others would if he said that to them? He shot the blonde an anxious look but Newton was still looking at Chuck, his expression soft and sad. Thomas thought again of Newton's family, the family that had been Sam's. He wanted to ask but he didn't know how.

"Yeah, i can see that. He obviously looks up to you." Newton murmured.

Thomas felt sad and uncomfortable, and something else that made him feel cold.

"He was the new arrival before you. He's only been here a few months, but he settled in really fast."

Newton looked at Thomas then. His brown were level and made Thomas feel silly for thinking the blonde wouldn't understand how he felt. The brown orbs were bright and sympathetic and filled with a knowledge that made Thomas suddenly want to cry and ask for a hug. He looked away, but Newton brushed their shoulders together, and Thomas smiled shyly.

"'Course he did. Havin' someone like you around probably made it real easy on him."

Thomas filled with pride at Newton'd words, feeling a little embarrassed. Overall it was a pleasant feeling, making him feel warm and liked. Thomas hoped desperately that Newton would never side with Gally and Alby, because he really _really_ liked their newest arrival.

"Aris is really good with him and gets him to come out of his shell, and Teresa loves him." Thomas smiled slyly. "Even Minho really likes him, but only secretly. He wouldn't tell you if you asked."

Newt chuckled, drawing his legs up onto the mattress and propping his chin on his knees.

"Sounds like a right nice group."

Thomas smiled.

"Yeah. I mean Gally and Alby are uhm, well you know. But most people here are great."

He looked over at the new boy, and Newton looked back. He smiled at him, and then lit up as though he had remembered something.

"Oh. The red-haired woman came through earlier. She said i'd been assigned right here, like you thought."

Thomas was surprised that Dr Paige had come to the dorms. She never did that. If something needed a visit to the dorm grid at all it was usually one of the Scientists who came through. He beamed at Newton.

"Oh, that's great! There's an empty bunk right above me, if you like." He turned pink at his own eagerness, feeling silly. "Or there's one below Gally too. Or, or you could have my bunk and i could move up, if you wanted the bottom bunk."

Newton chuckled at him and Thomas felt a little like he was being made fun of, but when he looked at him Newton just grinned.

"Steady on," he laughed. "I'll be just fine up top. No need to go givin' your bed away. It's been yours for-"

Newton's face scrunched thoughtfully, the frown from before appearing. Thomas had never before thought that a frown could be an expression you could like, but on Newton's face it was sort of nice, in a way. He wondered if Teresa would know how to explain it, or the confused but pleasant feeling the new arrival made him feel when he smiled at him. Thomas smiled, and opened his mouth to reply, but Newton surprised him for the millionth time that day already.

"Bloody hell, three years, was it? I can't take your bed from ya."

Thomas stared at him in surprise, not really knowing what to say. He didn't remember telling Newton he'd been here that long, but he must have done. There was a nice feeling growing in his chest again, the one that told him Newton was different from anyone he'd ever met. He felt warm when he smiled back. Newton looked a little embarrassed but he smiled back softly just the same.

"Yeah. Since i was five. Me and Teresa were some of the first ones, i think. I don't remember everything from the beginning. My memory wasn't all that good then. It's much better now."

Thomas babbled on, explaining things in the facility, trying to tell him things he might have forgotten to before. Newton sat very quietly and listened, his head cocked to one side where it sat atop his knees. By the time the others came back he'd slowed down, and the boys sat in a quiet lull that Thomas thought was very nice. He was a talker by nature, loud and endless in his chatter, but Newton seemed the quiet type. Thomas had retrieved his notepad from the floor and tidied up the mess from where he'd pushed Gally into the sideboard, feeling guilty. They were sitting top and tail on Thomas's bunk when the others came in. Newton had taken a liking to the notebook and he was scribbling in it now and Thomas was poring over a puzzle book, trying to pretend he wasn't painfully curious about whatever Newt was doing.

Minho was last through the door, pulling it shut behind him as he scrubbed his hand through his damp hair. Minho was the only one Thomas knew who didn't love the hairdryers in the shower rooms, or even _like_ them. He had noticed that Minho avoided them but had never asked, partly because Minho wasn't the sharing type of person and partly because Thomas didn't want to upset the balance they had between them. If pressed, he would guess that there was something about them Minho didn't like, possibly the heat but more likely the noise. Or, more specifically, the fact that the noise meant you couldn't hear anything else. Minho didn't like being snuck up on.

When Minho first arrived, Thomas could remember him giving Gally a black eye because the he had reached into his bunk to wake him one morning. From that night on Minho switched to the top bunk, the one above where Chuck now slept. If Minho didn't wake at the buzzing alarm in the mornings the boys in the dorm simply made themselves noisy as they moved around and woke him that way, or shouted for him. Gally had learned his lesson after that first time and quickly gotten into the habit of avoiding the asian boy in the mornings.

Minho looked up as though he felt Thomas's gaze and he raised his eyebrows questioningly, his blue eyes flickering between Thomas and Newton. Thomas nodded, smiling at him gratefully. Minho rolled his eyes as he made his way over to the table where Winston was dealing cards again, but Thomas could see the small smirk toying at his lips.

The dorm settled into a neutral evening and before long it was time for lights out. During the ensuring busyness Thomas helped Newton tidy away the clothing Dr. Paige had dropped off, giving him space in the trunk that lay under the top half of his bed. She hadn't brought pyjamas, probably because she wasn't used to being the one who collected and brought clothing for new arrivals. Thomas gave Newton the nicest pair of his own, red in the face. The bashful smile Newton gave him made it worth how uncomfortable he felt.

When Newton climbed the rungs to his own bunk Thomas watched him go, only climbing into his own bed once Newton had settled under the covers, rolling to his side to give Thomas a small smile and an awkward little wave. Thomas settled down to sleep listening to the murmurs floating from the other boys. He was tired, his energy spent in the Field and from the excitement of Newton's arrival. It didn't take him very long at all to fall asleep.

Thomas tried to lift his heavy eyelids as sleep trickled away from him. He yawned and turned to look, bleary-eyed.

"Hey Chuck." he whispered through a yawn. "Nightmare tonight? Come-"

He blinked, suddenly feeling more awake. The person sitting atop the duvet wasn't Chuck. It hadn't been Chuck clambering on the bunk rungs to reach his bed. It was Newton. He stared, realising he should smile hello because the blonde looked embarrassed, but his brain wasn't sending the signal out. Newton gave a self-conscious little breathy laugh and looked down at his hands.

"Uhh… Umm-Hello." Thomas whispered stupidly. Newton looked back at him awkwardly, as though he wanted to say something but wasn't sure what it was. Thomas finally caught up and smiled at him sheepishly.

"Sorry, still half-asleep. Hello."

Newton smiled a small smile that looked almost sad, his head tipping to the side that way it did. Thomas rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up properly, careful to leave enough space between them.

"Can't sleep?" he yawned again.

The blonde nodded, and then gave that self-conscious little breathy sound again.

"Yeah. I-" he stopped, twisting his lips and looking awkward. Thomas reached out tentatively and put his hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Newton smiled but didn't look at him. He did take a breath to speak, though.

"I miss them. My family."

Thomas looked away, feeling out of place. How could he comfort his new friend about that when he didn't even remember what family was? He swallowed, looking at his knees where they created little mountains in his duvet.

"I- Well. I'm scared, Tommy."

Thomas looked at him automatically, the new nickname flushing his insides with a warm feeling that felt like happiness and shyness and made his cheeks hot. Newton was looking upset for admitting it, his little frown in place again. Thomas squeezed his shoulder helplessly.

"You shouldn't be scared." he whispered slowly back, wondering how on earth he could make him feel better. "I mean, it's scary to start with but it's a good place and mostly everybody is nice. And we do puzzles most days and there's the Field and the classrooms…"

He felt at a loss. What could he say to make him feel better? Maybe this was a time where there wasn't a right thing to say. He looked sadly at the blonde, watching the way the other boy twisted his hands, his eyes glittering in the dark as though he were about to cry.

"I'm sorry." he whispered, his hand slipping from the blonde's shoulder as Thomas sat back against the low bar behind his pillow. It pressed into his back, cold through his pyjama top.

Newton looked at him with his sad brown eyes and Thomas felt worse, almost as though it was his fault Newton was upset. He looked away. Newton surprised him by chuckling quietly. Thomas was wondering if he was being mocked when Newton took his hand from where it sat on the duvet between them. He linked his fingers with Thomas's and squeezed. Thomas felt suddenly shy, and when he met the blonde's gaze his face was burning.

"Don't be. You're the only thing i like about this place." He smiled a lopsided smile. "Except maybe Chuck. He's too friendly not to like."

Thomas grinned and nodded. He fully agreed. The kid had worked his way into Thomas's heart right away, and Thomas looked at him as he thought he would a little brother.

"Yeah, Chuck's pretty great." he whispered back. He looked up at the blonde, liking the way the smile on his face made his eyes crease. "You're pretty great too." he added, playful. " _Newton_."

He clamped his hands over his giggle at the face the blonde pulled, scrunching his nose and baring his teeth with narrowed eyes. He hoped the others couldn't hear.

"It just sounds so wrong." Newton muttered back, and Thomas sighed, settling back down into a more comfortable position. He hummed in agreement, turning to look in surprise when the boy beside him lay down too as though copying him, his hand lying on top of the duvet beside Thomas's.

"I know." he answered, absently. "I still think Sam suits you."

Sam turned his head to look at him, smiling in the semi-darkness.

"Thank you." he whispered, making Thomas blush. He shrugged shyly and looked away.

"You're just not a _Newton_. At least _I_ don't think so. You're more of a… _Newt_. It's more…" he searched for the right word, aware that the boy was watching him intently from the other end of his pillow. " _Interesting_." Thomas settled on. "Different. Like you."

Newton didn't say anything, and Thomas flicked him a worried glance, panicking that he'd offended him. But he needn't have worried. Newton was smiling at him, a full on, friendly smile that made Thomas feel like he'd raced with Minho and won, beaten Teresa at Codes and trumped Aris at chess all at once. He smiled back as he watched Sam's eyes twinkle in the dark.

"Newt." the other boy repeated, the name sounding _just right_ in his soft accented whisper. "I like it, Tommy." he sighed, before surprising Thomas even more by wiggling around till he was under the duvet, lying close to him. "Newt."

"I could still call you Sam." Thomas whispered after a long silence, wondering if his new friend had fallen asleep. There was no response for a while before Newton turned over, curling on his side and facing Thomas. His knees brushed against Thomas's leg and Thomas had the sudden thought that he didn't want to sleep by himself ever again before dismissing it as silly and childish.

"Wouldn't that be hard, if they want us to accept new names?" Newt whispered back, his hand curling loosely around a crease in Thomas's sleeve. Thomas found he liked the touch, surprised that he felt comforted by it. He pulled a face in the darkness, not knowing if Newt could even see it.

"I could, if you wanted. When it's just us."

He closed his eyes and he could feel sleep pulling on him, and he could feel the heat of Newt's body lying beside him and it was a nice combination.

"Nah." came the gentle response. "I think i kinda liked it when ya called me Newt."

Thomas smiled, stifled a yawn.

"Then we're even, because i kinda like it when you call me Tommy."

There was a quiet chuckle from the boy beside him and then the comfortable silence of the dorm room settled over them again. Thomas was still smiling as he fell asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine_

Gally kept his distance in the morning, even when he realised Newt had crept into Thomas's bed after lights out. Thomas could see the taunts in his eyes every time the bigger boy looked at him from the other end of their table in the Food Hall, but he didn't say anything. His behaviour made Thomas feel uncomfortable and nervous, because Gally never held back unless he had a reason to, and as much as he tried Thomas couldn't think of one.

Chuck had been first awake as always, well before the buzzing alarm clocks. He had climbed into Thomas's bed like he did most mornings, and he didn't seem surprised that he wasn't the first one there. He clambered over Newton, wriggling himself in-between the two older boys like it was an everyday occurrence.

Thomas chuckled as he woke, pressing against the wall to let the little boy in. Chuck flashed him a warm and winning smile, his cheeks rosy from sleep.

"Morning, Thomas." he whispered, not very quietly.

"Morning, Chuck my man."

That always made the little boy giggle and Thomas propped himself up on his elbow and ruffled Chuck's curls, looking over his head to smile apologetically at the waking blonde. Newton looked tense and confused as he woke up but when his eyes found Thomas he relaxed, smiling tiredly back. Newton was closest to the edge so Thomas squished himself further, dragging Chuck over to give Newton some space and wincing as one of Chucks feet struck the sore spot from Gally's kick.

"He does this every morning." Thomas said, gently flicking Chuck's nose and causing him to giggle again.

"Not _every_ morning." Chuck corrected, wriggling away as he swatted at the hand in front of his face.

Thomas stuck his tongue out at him.

"Well, most mornings, then."

Chuck sat up properly, crossing his arms and pouting as he looked between them both.

"Don't tell him _that_ , Thomas! He'll think i'm a _baby_."

Thomas chuckled, copying Chuck's pout to tease him.

" _I_ don't think you're a baby." he appeased, smiling. "And Newt won't think you're a baby either, will you?"

The blonde boy shook his head dutifully, a shy smile on his face. Thomas was pleased again that Newton liked Chuck. The younger boy frowned.

"I thought his name was Newt _on_?"

Thomas chuckled, poking Chuck's knee.

"Yeah, it is. But i'm gonna call him Newt, just like we all call you Chuck instead of Charles."

When he looked shyly at Newton, _Newt_ , the blonde boy smiled back. The warm feeling was back in Thomas's chest and he felt his cheeks reddening. Chuck nodded, before pulling a face and brushing his wild curls back from his eyes with both hands.

"Charles _sucks_." he said simply, looking pleased as punch when both booths laughed at him.

The dorm had awoken gradually like usual, their natural rhythm re-instated after the upheaval of a new arrival. They had always been like that. Everybody adapted to change pretty well at WCKD.

Aris had joined the three boys on Thomas's bed once they were dressed, and they played a round of snap at Chuck's request. Thomas was pleased to see Newt join in. Although he wasn't speaking he was smiling and Aris and Chuck let him be. Thomas thought about how much nicer it was when his friends - he knew that was how his heart saw them even if they weren't really - were near and having fun together. By the time the breakfast bell went in the corridor Thomas's stomach was rumbling.

He glanced back at Gally as the boy looked his way again. The gleam in his eyes was almost frightening. Thomas busied himself with helping Chuck cut up his pancakes. His youngest dorm mate had a habit of overestimating the amount of food he could chew at one time without choking. Newt was sitting on Thomas's other side, his leg brushing against Thomas's every so often. Thomas found his eyes straying towards his newest friend, filled with a warm feeling every time he found Newt looking back at him.

Teresa sat across the table. She was chatting idly to Aris about a new Set that Dr Paige had been talking about. They were going to be paired up in the Labs today and although Thomas and Teresa usually worked on co-operative tasks together, this time they had changed the assignments. Dr Paige hadn't told them who, but Teresa had confided in Thomas that she thought she was going to be paired with Aris. She wouldn't tell him how she knew, only that she had a hunch.

Teresa's hunches usually came true.

"I wonder who Tom'll be paired with."

The sound of his name caught his attention and he looked up from his plate. Teresa was giving him one of her teasing smirks.

"So you _are_ in that head of yours. Who do you think they'll pair you with?"

Thomas shrugged, looking over at Newt without thinking. The blonde was listening carefully, his eyes thoughtful. He was leaning one elbow on the table, his chin resting on the knuckles of his hand. When Thomas turned, Newt smiled at him.

 _Unlikely, but i guess they might if they think you've had an influence on him or something._

He met her eyes with a wry smile.

 _Get outta my head, Tee. You don't now that's what i was thinking._

It didn't matter that she was right, she was always right when it came to reading him. Her smile widened as though he'd proven her right and he turned back to his plate, spearing blueberry with his for and popping it in his mouth.

"Hey," she said, looking at Aris as though something had just occurred to her. Her voice had that innocent layer to it that let Thomas know she was going to tease him without actually teasing him. "Maybe they'll pair you with Newton seeing as how you got him to open up yesterday."

Aris grinned without looking up from his breakfast. He probably knew exactly what was going on, he knew Teresa's game. Newt looked at her in surprise but Thomas only rolled his eyes.

"Maybe." he responded, pretending the idea didn't make him feel excited and shy. "That'd be cool."

Newt smiled beside him but didn't say anything, and breakfast continued once Teresa realised he wasn't going to join her in their usual verbal sparring.

 _I win._

Her mental voice smirked in his head and he stuck his tongue out at her.

 _You wish._

 _What's the matter Tom? You don't have a crush on him, do you?_

Her voice in his head laughed when he reddened, his cheeks burning hot and his brows falling into a frown as he shot her a glare. Newt was watching them curiously but Thomas felt suddenly uncomfortable with the thought of looking at the new blonde so he didn't.

 _Shut up, i do not._

 _Oh you sooo do!_

 _Slim it!_

 _Thomas and Newton, sitting in a tree-_

Thomas groaned at her sing-song voice, faint memories of a song dancing just out of reach.

 _K-I-S-S-I-N-G_

"That's not _funny_."

Thomas didn't realise he'd spoken out loud until Aris and Newton looked at him in surprise. He shot a _Help Me!_ look at Teresa but she was too busy laughing. Newt looked between them with a bemused expression, and Chuck and Aris just shared a knowing look. Chuck always looked so much older when he pulled that face, even though he was still such a little kid.

"They do this _aaall_ the time," Chuck sighed dramatically, chasing a slice of banana through the syrup on his plate.

Aris chuckled in agreement. "Yeah, they do this weird zoning out thing, like they're having silent conversations or something."

Thomas coughed, and Teresa turned her head down to try and hide the surprised blush tinging her cheeks pink. They had been instructed not to tell anybody about what they could do, warned that their special connection would be taken away if they did. They almost got caught every other week, but because nobody else that they knew of had the ability, nobody had guessed it yet.

Thomas rolled his eyes and nudged Chuck playfully.

"You're just jealous because Teresa isn't your _giirlfriend_."

Chuck swatted at him indignantly, his round face instantly ruddy as he ducked his head.

"Shut _up_ , Thomas. That isn't _true_!"

They finished breakfast like that, teasing each other and laughing. Thomas loved mealtimes at WCKD. He loved lots of things about the facility, but his favourites _had_ to be the people he called friends, and almost-friends. And the Field, of course. It was pretty cool too.


End file.
